Henry Smith MP has welcomed the Government’s multi-million pound investment in local healthcare this winter, as it emerged that the Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (SASH) had been granted up to an additional £1,687,000 of funding to help cope with winter pressures.

Crawley Hospital and the wider health system has prepared earlier and more extensively than ever before for winter this year, with a focus on securing the right numbers of doctors and nurses, increasing bed availability, and making sure there is strong social care and community care support available to help discharge patients from hospital quickly.

Henry said;

“This is positive news for Crawley patients and residents. We all want to know the NHS is there for us and our families whenever we need it, so I’m pleased the Government is giving the NHS extra support at this critical time of year, when cold weather and flu can increase the pressures on hard-working hospital staff.

“On a national level, and locally – with the Crawley Clinical Commissioning Group receiving a 2.29 per cent cash increase in 2017-18 – it’s thanks to our strong economy that we can make this extra investment in the NHS.

“Our Health Service is receiving record high funding with the budget set to further increase to £123 billion by 2020.”

The extra funding granted to SASH is the equivalent of 39.2 annual nurse salaries, and was announced as part of a £337 million immediate funding boost for NHS hospitals this winter in the recent Budget, in addition to an extra £2.8 billion investment over the next two years.