I am delighted that Northampton General Hospital has just been awarded an extra £16.7 million to build a new critical care unit.
This funding is part of a wider scheme where NHS trusts are to receive a share of £600 million to help eradicate the maintenance backlog in NHS hospitals.
£1.5 billion of capital funding was promised earlier in the summer to build an NHS fit for the future, including to modernise mental health facilities, expand A&E capacity, and improve infection control ahead of winter.
This funding will deliver immediate benefits, and comes alongside our manifesto commitment to build 40 new hospitals and 20 major hospital upgrades across the country
The NHS provides world-class care and this year, as much as ever, we hugely appreciate their efforts, including of course right here in Northampton.
Simon Weldon, the new NGH Chief Executive, has joined me in welcoming this additional funding.
I look forward to continuing my strong relations with Simon and our superb NHS staff, who, with our continued support and record investment, will always ensure that help is there if one needs it. Indeed, as you may have seen from a previous newsletter, I was delighted that, earlier this year, the Government committed to writing off the debt of Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust to the value of £107.9 million, as part of our pledge to scrap £13.4 billion of NHS debt across England to support coronavirus efforts, allowing NGH to invest in vital services and longer-term infrastructure improvements.
Building works are already underway for the new development with the new unit set to open next year, in an investment which will prove a huge boost for both hospital staff and patients.
You can read more about this here: https://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/health/northampton-general-hospital-given-ps16m-funding-build-new-critical-care-unit-3065175
