Devon hospitals given £2.8m for bed shortage support

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said it still expected to have bed shortages

Extra funding has been given to hospitals in Devon in a bid to cut bed shortages this winter.

The NHS Devon Integrated Care Board has given £2.8m to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (RD&E) and the North Devon District Hospitals (NDDH).

The trust that runs both had expected RD&E would be 80 beds short on average during the winter and NDDH about 40.

It said even with the funding it would expect to be a total of about 100 bed short on its "most challenged days".

The trust said "additional measures could be implemented at pace" to mitigate the gaps, but it would require further funding.