Multi-million pound funding boost for Peterborough hospital trust welcomed

The cash was part of a £300 million national Government funding scheme to help hospitals upgrade ahead of what is predicted to be a busy winter as medical teams continue to deal with the COVID 19 pandemic.

Stacie Coburn, Deputy Chief Operating Officer at North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Peterborough City, Hinchingbrooke and Stamford and

Rutland Hospitals, said: “We are really pleased to receive £3.7m funding to support our urgent care services as we head into winter. With the ongoing requirements of managing the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly in enabling social distancing, this money will go a long way towards reconfiguring the layout and flow of our urgent care services to help treat as many patients as safely and quickly as we can.

“This investment will mean an expansion to our same-day emergency care services. This allows us to increase the number of people who need diagnosis and treatment but without an overnight stay in hospital, thus reducing the demand for beds during the peak winter period and improving patient experience. We will also be investing in services to support discharge from the hospital, enabling people to go home as early in the day as possible and thereby improving flow from our emergency department and across our wards.

“We are actively working on our winter preparation plans, learning lessons from what worked last year. Our clinical and operational teams are working hard to continue delivering urgent care services in a new way as we respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. I am proud of what they have achieved during this period and the ongoing commitment they show to our hospital and our patients.”

Peterborough MP Paul Bristow also welcomed the news, and said: “Staff at Peterborough City Hospital and across the NW Anglia Foundation Trust have worked tirelessly over recent months, and I would like to thank them for everything they have done to get our local community through the coronavirus pandemic.

“While we hope for the best this winter, its right that we plan for the worst. This funding to upgrade A&E across the Trust will ensure that we are in the best possible position for the challenges that the winter months may bring.

“As a Conservative, the NHS is my top priority and I was elected last December on a promise to deliver record NHS investment and level up the health service across the country. I am delighted to see the Conservatives in Government getting on with doing exactly that.”