The Government has announced a £20 billion pound investment in infrastructure, as part of their New Hospital Programme.
The commitment will focus on the rebuild of five major hospitals by 2030, these are:
- Airedale General, Keighley
- Frimley Park, Surrey.
- Hinchingbrooke, Huntingdon,
- Mid-Cheshire’s Leighton,
- And Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn.
An independent assessment found these hospitals would not be operationally safe beyond 2030, and so the Government has prioritised the rebuild, including new state-of-the-art facilities.
This announcement means the Government are on track to deliver their manifesto commitment of building 40 new hospitals in England by 2030. More information can be found here.
Furthermore, the Health Secretary, Rt Hon Steve Barclay, has announced changes to the NHS App that will give patients more choice over their care and will help to cut NHS waiting times.
Now, when a GP makes a referral, the patient will be able to log into their NHS App and have a list of five options for services and can assess and choose their own providers.
And from October 2023 patients who have been waiting more than 40 weeks for a referral appointment will be given the opportunity to transfer to a different provider.
The Government have also said they looking to work with GP practices and other bodies that refer patients to improvement the public awareness of these changes.
Further information about the changes to the NHS App can be found here.
