NHS winter fears 'prompt cash boost'

Fears of a winter crisis in the NHS in England have prompted ministers to increase the emergency funds available.

The government has released an extra £300m bringing the total winter pot to £700m - 75% more than the system received last year.

It will help beef up staff numbers and services, particularly at weekends.

A&Es have struggled to hit their four-hour waiting time target this year, but Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said performance should improve now.

Hospitals are expected to see 95% of patients within four hours.

But since April they have averaged 94.8% with performance dipping below 94% in recent weeks despite the period covering spring, summer and the start of autumn.

In one week during mid-October the figure hit 93% - worse than at any point during the whole of last winter.

This is despite the mild weather, prompting fears that the winter could be particularly bad.

But Mr Hunt said, with the extra money and measures being put in place, he would expect "performance to improve on current levels".

"We are boosting front-line services and expect the NHS to ensure strong performance is delivered locally, drawing on the multi-million pound support package that the government has provided," he added.

The money - the first part of which was handed out in the summer - is being spent both in and out of hospital.

Extra doctor and nurse capacity is being taken on - using a combination of agency staff, overtime and temporary appointments.

But money is also being set aside to extend pharmacy and GP opening as well as to boost physio, social worker and occupational therapy services.

NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens said: "The ageing and growing population means that service pressures are rising so this winter the NHS will be pulling out all the stops."

But British Medical Association chairman Dr Mark Porter said the extra money was simply a "sticking plaster".

"It masks the fact that a funding gap of £30bn is opening up in the NHS, and does not go far enough to address the underlying reasons why the system is under such extreme pressure.

"If the NHS is to stop lurching from one crisis to another it needs a long-term plan rather than a short-term fix."