UK

Extra £3 billion for NHS to prepare for second coronavirus wave

The NHS is to receive an extra £3 billion ahead of a second coronavirus spike in winter
The NHS is to receive an extra £3 billion ahead of a second coronavirus spike in winter The NHS is to receive an extra £3 billion ahead of a second coronavirus spike in winter

An extra £3 billion for the NHS in England, with extra money for Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland, has been announced to allow the service to prepare for a second coronavirus wave.

Confirming the extra funding, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Covid-19 could become "more virulent" in winter.

"Demand for testing is not the only challenge that winter will bring. It's possible that the virus will be more virulent in the winter months and it's certain that the NHS will face the usual annual winter pressures."

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He added: "We're making sure we're ready for winter and planning for the worst.

"But even as we plan for the worst I strongly believe we should hope for the best.

"That means looking ahead with optimism, now extending our plan to lift the remaining national measures, which have restricted our lives since March, so we can get back to something closer to normal life."

Mr Johnson said the "real secret" to avoiding a spike in coronavirus cases will be "in the common sense and the collective action of the British people".

He said: "If you look at other countries around the world, I must say this in all candour to the British people, look at other countries around the world - we can see all too clearly what could go wrong if we don't continue to follow the guidance, if we don't continue to keep this thing under control, because plainly this is a very contagious illness and there are parts of the world where it's continuing to spike.

"We don't want to see that in this country."

NHS Providers, which represents NHS organisations, welcomed the financial support to prepare with the "triple whammy of pressures" from winter, a possible second surge and trying to recover from the strain of the pandemic so far.

But deputy chief executive Saffron Cordery called for "urgent clarity" over what the funding will cover, saying funding is already in place for the Nightingale hospitals and private beds.

"Trusts need more than that. They have got to recover the lost ground of the last four or five months and put measures in place to manage the additional activity that always happens in winter," she added.

"Sadly what we do know won't be included is social care.

"Social care across the country is in a critical condition and the Government has still failed to commit to providing the sector with the funding it needs to be fully sustainable."

A mosaic art installation in central London celebrating the NHS
A mosaic art installation in central London celebrating the NHS A mosaic art installation in central London celebrating the NHS

The British Medical Association also called for details on how the money will be used.

Council chairman Dr Chaand Nagpaul said: "The Government talks of winter planning, but we need transparency on this, including how far this money can stretch in tackling a modelled worst-case forecast - including a second peak, additional non-Covid demand and a possible flu outbreak.

"Crucially, the Government must make prevention a priority and take every necessary step to try and avoid a national second spike all together."