A group of health authorities which says it needs an additional£2.4m to fund extra beds to cope with increased demand over winter, has been told existing resources should be sufficient.
The six HAs in Greater Manchester are planning to increase the number of beds by more than 100 in the next few months, following a report from North West regional that identified a major gap in bed provision.
The report, by regional head of emergency care Chris Brown, concluded that normal winter requirements would make bed use near 100 per cent. 'This is not sustainable, ' it states.
In response, the HAs have planned an extra 82 acute and 19 intermediate care beds to be put in place as soon as possible, with an extra 100 intermediate care beds across the district being planned.
A spokesperson for Manchester HA said: 'It is a financial risk because we have to identify funding, but we have got to get the beds in place before we worry about money.'
A North West region spokesperson said: 'Health authorities have had unprecedented financial settlements this year and they were expected to plan for this.'
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