Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been awarded £3m to improve urgent and emergency services at the Bedford Hospital site.
This funding means the Trust can now tend to its immediate priorities of extending the capacity within the waiting areas in the emergency department, improve children’s A&E and enhance the Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) service.
The funding is part of an overall package of £300m announced by the Government yesterday which will be spent on upgrading A&E facilities at 117 Trusts across the country, £28.8m of which has gone to hospitals in the East of England region. Projects are to be completed by early next year so hospitals can benefit from the upgrades during the peak of winter.
Cathy Jones, Deputy Chief Executive at Bedfordshire Hospitals, said: “We are delighted to secure £3m in funding to support our long-term plans to enhance urgent and emergency care services at our Bedford Hospital site. We will be working closely with clinical colleagues to transform our facilities to better meet patient needs and cope with the increasing demand these services consistently experience. This funding will not only enable us make significant improvements for our patients but will also help us in preparing for the increased challenges that the winter months will bring.”