NHS digital programme to benefit from £760m government funding

The government has announced it is releasing £760 million into the NHS, which includes money to improve the use of its digital programme as part of the national health body’s 70th birthday.

The Department of Health and Social Care announced the money is part of a £760 million investment to modernise and transform NHS hospitals and community services over the next 10 years.

Part of the funding includes £150 million set aside to support the NHS’s work to become more efficient.

This includes “improve the use of a digital programme that helps the NHS use its workforce better” and “improve pharmacy IT and administration systems to reduce medication errors and improve patient safety”.

The Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin sustainability and transformation partnership (STP) will also receive £300 million to transform local hospital services. It proposes to use the funding to develop an emergency care site and a separate planned care site, with 24-hour urgent care centres at both sites.

Money is also due to be invested in upgrading the services of eight trusts across Yorkshire plus £13 million for two new urgent care centres in Newton Abbot and Torquay, and the refurbishment of Torbay Hospital’s A&E department.

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Jeremy Hunt, said: “As the NHS approaches its 70th birthday, we are backing it with one of the largest capital programmes in NHS history. As well as a whole new emergency care development in Shropshire, we are backing local NHS services with new buildings, beds and wards so that staff who have been working incredibly hard over winter can have confidence we are expanding capacity for the future.

“Further major projects are also under consideration across the country and we intend to announce one large scale scheme the size of the Shrewsbury and Telford plan every year going forward based on high-quality plans coming forward from local NHS leaders.”

Hunt recently promised a £75 million investment from the government to help NHS hospitals implement e-prescribing systems.