£3m to be spent on providing much-needed additional beds at Milton Keynes Hospital

Milton Keynes’ overstretched hospital is to receive £3m from the government to pay for additional beds ahead of the winter rush.

But the windfall will only actually buy 10.8 beds, as the provision of each one costs £277,000.

The announcement was made today (Tuesday) as prime minister Rishi Sunak visits Milton Keynes University Hospital to promote his pans for improving NHs services.

He says £250 million of government funding has been allocated to chosen NHS hospitals to increase capacity as part of the urgent and emergency care recovery plan

This funding will create 900 beds overall to treat patients more quickly and cut waiting lists. And it will allow hospitals to increase capacity and improve performance ahead of winter.

The £3m allocated to Milton Keynes is one of the lower amounts. Peterborough City Hospital is to get £12.5 million to provide 72 new beds through the conversion of under-utilised non-clinical space, while Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ​University Hospitals will receive almost £24m.

In London at the Northwick Park Hospital, a 32 bed modular acute medical ward is being created through a £22.6 million investment to increase the hospital’s capacity this winter

The prime minister said: “Cutting waiting lists is one of my top 5 priorities, so this year the government has started planning for winter earlier than ever before and the public can be reassured we are backing the NHS with the resources it needs.

"These 900 new beds will mean more people can be treated quickly, speeding up flow through hospitals and reducing frustratingly long waits for treatment.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Steve Barclay, said: “We know that winter is a difficult time so we’re working to get ahead of pressures while also creating a sustainable NHS fit for the future.

“Creating additional hospital capacity will support staff to provide the best possible care and treat patients more quickly, helping us to improve waiting times and cut waiting lists - one of the government’s top 5 priorities.”

MK Hospital was designed and built in the 1980s, when the population of Milton Keynes was significantly smaller. There have been fears over the years that it is not expanding quickly enough to serve the growing population.