Boris Johnson to announce £1.8bn cash boost for NHS
Money will help fund upgrades to 20 hospitals, plus new beds and equipment, but Labour says it falls ‘significantly short’ of what is needed
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Boris Johnson is set to announce a £1.8bn cash boost for frontline NHS services.
The prime minister will make the pledge during a visit to a hospital on Monday. He is expected to say that the money will go towards increasing the number of hospital beds, funding new equipment, upgrading wards and repairing damaged buildings.
The government said the cash injection would fund upgrades to 20 hospitals around the country, with the details to be announced by Mr Johnson.
Sources said the prime minister would confirm that the money will be made available immediately.
The funding is on top of the £33.9bn per year increase by 2023-24 that was promised by Theresa May.
A government source said: “The prime minister has been clear since day one that the NHS is a top priority.
“This money will be felt by frontline services, by the doctors and nurses whose hard work is invaluable, and by the patients they care for.”
However, Labour said the funding fell “significantly short” of what was needed and pointed out that the government has previously cut money for NHS buildings and equipment in order to fund day-to-day care.
Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, said: “This announcement – even if it’s ever delivered – falls significantly short of what’s needed to provide the quality, safe care to patients after years of Tory cuts.
“Tory ministers have repeatedly cut capital investment budgets in recent years. These smash and grab raids have meant over £4bn slashed and seen the NHS repair bill spiral to £6bn, putting patient safety seriously at risk.
“What’s more, Matt Hancock [the health secretary] has hopelessly failed to deliver on existing Tory promises, delivering less than 3 per cent of cash supposedly earmarked for upgrades. This record of incompetence and cuts confirms what even Johnson’s advisers admit – Tory MPs simply don’t care about the NHS.”
It is understood that £850m of the additional funding will go towards upgrading the 20 hospitals – a pledge made by Mr Johnson on the steps of Downing Street minutes after he became prime minister.
Then, he said: “My job is to make sure you don’t have to wait three weeks to see your GP and we start work this week with 20 new hospital upgrades, and ensuring that money for the NHS really does get to the frontline.”
Speaking in the House of Commons the next day, he promised that there would also be more funding to help the NHS prepare for winter.
Mr Johnson said he had also asked officials to come up with a plan for “for drastically reducing waiting times and for GP appointments”.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments