NHS to fund extra beds and ambulances to tackle long emergency care waits

The NHS in England will roll out thousands of extra hospital beds and hundreds of ambulances this year to try to reduce lengthy delays in emergency care services.

A two year recovery plan, published on 30 January,1 promises £1bn investment to fund 5000 new beds (boosting capacity by 5%) and 800 new ambulances for next winter. The plan follows considerable pressures on the NHS this winter, with record demand in emergency departments and a big increase in the most serious ambulance callouts.

But healthcare leaders have questioned how the expansion will be staffed.

Saffron Cordery, interim chief executive at NHS Providers said, “Though these new measures are welcome, they are not enough in themselves. We desperately need action to tackle the vast workforce shortages, staff exhaustion and burnout, and the …