Prime Minister David Cameron today announced details of £330m of funding allocated for NHS capital projects.

Mr Cameron said the projects would “ensure millions of people see better buildings, better equipment, and brand new facilities and services as well as saving thousands of lives”.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said the money had come from “tighter funding controls and savings on IT systems, central budgets, and NHS budgets”.

But she said the full breakdown of these figures would not be available until the department published its accounts in the summer.

She added that the money was allocated through a “prioritisation process” led by strategic health authorities at the end of 2011.

Projects that will receive funding include:

  • New urgent care centres in hospitals in East Lancashire, Hillingdon and Epsom and St Helier. The North West London Hospitals NHS Trust will also develop a purpose-built A&E department
  • A new dedicated paediatric facility at Scarborough General Hospital
  • New CT scanners for hospitals in Dorset, East Sussex and Newham
  • Renovation of community hospitals in Bridgewater, Tewkesbury, Purley and Surbiton
  • A purpose built recovery area and a new induction suite Birmingham Women’s Hospital. The DH said BWH would receive funding allowing it to deliver an extra 650 babies a year
  • Better breast screening equipment will mean more women can be screened for cancer. NHS East London and City will receive £1.1 million, meaning  an extra 10,000 women across Hackney and Newham will be invited for breast screening

David Stout, Deputy Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, said:“This is good news for a number of NHS organisations, which should help meet some of the increasing costs of technology and facilities.  

“But on its own it won’t alter the big picture which is that the NHS faces many years of serious financial pressure. We have to grasp the nettle of serious change to services if the NHS is to stay in the black.”

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