The government is creating 900 extra beds to help the NHS cope with the winter - but none in Greater Manchester

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

The government is funding the creation of 900 beds to help the NHS cope with winter pressures - but nothing has been allocated to any hospitals in Greater Manchester.

900 new hospital beds will be created across the NHS as part of £250 million government funding to help treat patients this winter, Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay will announce today. 'The funding has been awarded to NHS trusts to relieve pressures and help cut waiting time', according to a government spokesperson.

But Greater Manchester is not included in the 30 areas benefitting from the investment. This comes despite immense pressures on NHS hospitals in the region last winter, which saw the Manchester Evening News report on North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) bosses pleading for help as hundreds of sick patients waited hours for help because of severe hospital bed shortages. Join our WhatsAp p Top Stories and Breaking News group by clicking this link. The Manchester Evening News asked why there will be no money given to Greater Manchester hospital trusts.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "NHS England and regions worked closely with local systems and trusts to identify schemes which would support their local capacity challenges based on the greatest need, deliver benefits this year and provide good value for money." Back in December 2022, the president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Dr Adrian Boyle, said as many as 500 people nationally could have been dying each week because of delays to emergency care.