News / Seventy hospitals given A&E capital

The Department of Health has allocated more than half of the new capital funding for emergency departments announced in this year’s Budget.

The announcement came as it emerged NHS Improvement has discussed giving preferential access to capital approvals to providers that outperform their 2016/17 control totals. 

Just under £56m of the £100m announced in the Budget will be shared by 70 NHS hospitals. The Department said this would ease pressure on A&E departments by next winter and help the hospitals meet the target of seeing, transferring or discharging 95% of patients within four hours.

The funds seek to ensure patients are seen in the most appropriate setting by using more GPs in A&E. They may be used to triage patients or GP practices could be co-located in A&E departments.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (above), which will receive more than £700,000, said the money would be used to fund a series of improvements at St James’s University Hospital and Leeds General Infirmary. The improvements will include changes to reception areas and a dedicated consultation room and waiting area for GPs working in the each of its two A&E departments, a spokesperson added.

Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust has been allocated £1m and will use the funding to upgrade its waiting area and create spaces to allow emergency consultants and GPs to carry out quick assessments.