NHS England to get extra 8,000 hospital beds
The National Health Service (NHS) England has said it struck a major deal with independent hospitals to boost the organisation's capacities in tackling the coronavirus outbreak.
"Nearly 20,000 fully qualified staff will be joining the NHS response to the pandemic, helping manage the expected surge in cases," it said in a statement.
"The extra resources now secured by the health service will not only be available to treat coronavirus patients, but will also help the NHS deliver other urgent operations and cancer treatments.
"The deal - the first of its kind ever - includes the provision of 8,000 hospital beds across England, nearly 1,200 more ventilators, more than 10,000 nurses, over 700 doctors and over 8,000 other clinical staff."
It said that in London, the deal includes over 2,000 hospital beds, and over 250 operating theatres and critical beds.
Reacting to the announcement, UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "This is great news for the hospitals and staff doing everything they can to combat coronavirus."
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