AN EXTRA £3.9million has been allocated to local hospitals to help hospitals cope with the added pressures brought on by winter pressures.
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust will receive £1.3million in winter revenue funding, announced by the Chancellor last month.
The remaining £2.6million will be shared between the Acute Trust, the county’s three clinical commissioning groups and Worcestershire Health and Care Trust.
The cash will focus on securing the right numbers of doctors and nurses, increasing bed availability, and making sure there is strong social care and community care support available to help discharge patients from hospital quickly.
The funding will be used to move the Frailty Unit at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch to seven-day working, further expand the Evergreen 2 Ward at Worcestershire Royal by increasing beds and staff, and buying additional nursing home beds for patients to support their discharge from hospital.
The number of district nurses and other community-based healthcare staff will also be increased so more patients can be cared for in their homes.
The Trust is already in a stronger position this winter compared to last year thanks to a £920,000 Ambulatory Emergency Care Unit at the Royal and the Alex’s Frailty Unit which are both helping to reduce admissions to A&E.
The move has been welcomed by Mid Worcestershire MP Nigel Huddleston.
He said: “I am pleased that Worcestershire will be receiving its fair share of additional funding that will be particularly helpful in improving A&E performance throughout the Winter period.
“I am particularly pleased that the Health Minister was able to confirm before Christmas that the Trust will be receiving the £29 million for building improvements that it had bid for.
“Following many meetings and discussions with the Department of Health over several months, Worcestershire MPs and hospital bosses were hopeful – but not certain – that the funding would be forthcoming.
“Full credit is due to the team at the Trust who clearly pulled together a compelling business case.”
