Prime Minister Boris Johnson investing £1.8bn into 'critical' NHS services

The Prime Minister has confirmed a new boost for the NHS worth £1.8bn which could deliver more beds, better equipment and additional wards.

Across 20 hospitals, £850k will be split between them, which could upgrade outdated facilities and equipment.

Boris Johnson has also signed off a £1bn boost for NHS capital spending, which are meant to be tackle the most urgent of infrastructure projects.

Later this week, health secretary Matt Hancock MP is to announce further changes to the NHS pension scheme, supporting doctors and GPs taking on further hours.

Ahead of his visit to a Lincolnshire hospital today (August 5), Boris Johnson said: “The NHS is always there for us - free at the point of use for everyone in the country.

“With our doctors and nurses working tirelessly day in day out, this treasured institution truly showcases the very best of Britain.

“That’s why I made it my immediate task to make sure frontline services have the funding they need, to make a real difference to the lives of NHS staff, and above all, of patients.”

However, some concerns have been raised about the funding, believing not every part of the healthcare service is being equally updated and preserved.

Sally Copley is the director of policy and campaigns at Alzheimer’s Society. She was concerned for the lack of investment in social care: “We’re encouraged to see the new government committing to improving healthcare…

“But [we’re] disappointed that social care is once again playing second fiddle. The NHS knows it can only thrive if the social care system is fit for purpose.

“[Around] 850,000 people living with dementia have waited long enough, so we are all looking to the government to now deliver on social care.

“We urge the Prime Minister to provide an NHS Dementia Fund… We need to invest in long term social care reform, and ensure that people with dementia people get good quality, specialist care now.”

The £1.8bn funding is in addition to the extra £33.9bn, in cash terms, which the NHS is set to receive every year by 2023/24 through the Long Term Plan, which was agreed in 2018.

Over £1bn of this is set to be spent this year, meaning an annual increase in the NHS’s capital budget of 30 per cent.

NHS England’s chief executive, Simon Stevens, concluded: “This is a significant start to the much needed capital investment so that our nurses, doctors and other NHS staff will be able to care for their patients in modern facilities with state of the art equipment.”