NHS to expand hospital capacity to tackle coronavirus

NHS England has agreed a deal with the country’s independent hospitals to ensure that more beds, ventilators and thousands of extra healthcare staff will be made urgently available to aid the NHS fight against coronavirus.

As a result of the agreement, NHS England predicts that nearly 20,000 fully qualified staff will be joining the NHS response to the pandemic, helping manage the expected surge in cases. As well as tackling the coronavirus pandemic, the move should also help the NHS deliver other urgent operations and cancer treatments.

The deal includes the provision of 8,000 hospital beds across England, nearly 1200 more ventilators, more than 10,000 nurses, over 700 doctors and over 8,000 other clinical staff. In London, where the growth in coronavirus patients is increasing faster than anywhere else in the country, it includes over 2,000 hospital beds, and over 250 operating theatres and critical beds.

Under the agreement, the independent sector will reallocate practically its entire national hospital capacity en bloc to the NHS. It will be reimbursed, at cost – meaning no profit will be made for doing so. ‘Open book’ accounting and external auditors will verify the public funds being deployed.

Sir Simon Stevens, NHS England chief executive, said: “We’re dealing with an unprecedented global health threat and are taking immediate and exceptional action to gear up. The NHS is doing everything in its power to expand treatment capacity, and is working with partners right across the country to do so. But it is absolutely vital that this is matched by successful and comprehensive adoption of the public measures needed to cut the spread of the virus. We all have to play our part to help offset the enormous pressure that our nurses, doctors and other specialists will otherwise face.”

Matt Hancock, Health Secretary, added: “I know how hard the NHS have been working to secure extra beds and staffing. This is great news for the hospitals and staff doing everything they can to combat Coronavirus. I want to pay particular tribute to those heroes returning to front line to support their colleagues and help as many patients recover from the virus.”

Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “This is not a time for trivial distinctions about who owns what – the simple truth is we need every doctor, every nurse, every clinical facility to do whatever is needed, no matter where it is needed.  We must all do everything we can to tackle this pandemic. The arrival of thousands of staff from the independent sector joining the fight, alongside the recently retired and those approaching qualification, the workforce on the front line is growing.

“Of course, the government and the national NHS leadership need to make sure they have the right protective equipment and the right testing regime. Huge efforts are underway to ramp up those essentials and to produce more ventilators – this is a war and the troops need the weapons to fight it. And the ‘civilian’ population has a critical role too – stop selfish panic buying, support each other and follow medical advice on social distancing and hand hygiene.”