'We're leaving things in nature's hands. We don't know whether nature will be kind to us and if we will survive it,' says one GP
After the strain last winter put on the NHS, the government announced this week that it will fund the creation of 900 extra beds - but no money has been allocated to any hospitals in Greater Manchester.
The lack of investment for Greater Manchester hospitals comes despite immense pressures on NHS hospitals in the region last winter, which saw the Manchester Evening News report on North West Ambulance Service bosses pleading for help as hundreds of sick patients waited hours for help because of severe hospital bed shortages.
The M.E.N. reported back in May the latest promise from the government, which holds the purse strings for the huge project, was that the rebuild would be finished by 2030. So far, there has been no firm end date for the MRI upgrade. The ambulances were forced to park outside hospitals for hours as there were no beds available on wards. The pressure only mounted as a Covid wave brought more hospitalisations, and a crippled social care system meant there was no way of safely discharging patients ready to go home.
But on the other side of the Commons, Health and Social Care Secretary, Steve Barclay said of the announcement: “We know that winter is a difficult time so we’re working to get ahead of pressures whilst also creating a sustainable NHS fit for the future. That's why we're investing this £250 million to support NHS capacity and deliver 900 new beds, as part of our drive to put in place 5,000 permanent additional beds.
"It seems like we're promoting a postcode lottery here. Greater Manchester clearly has great need because of its high levels of deprivation so needs as much funding and resources as possible. "Each winter, we don't know what bugs and breakouts we'll get. And I don't think we have resilience in the system to deal with these issue because of the lack of funding and provision.
Danmark Seneste Nyt, Danmark Overskrifter
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