More beds, ventilators and extra healthcare staff will be available from next week to aid the fight against coronavirus. The announcement comes after a deal between NHS England and independent hospitals, the NHS has revealed today.
The extra resources, including nearly 20,000 staff, will also help the NHS deliver other urgent operations and cancer treatments.
The deal – the first of its kind – 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.
NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens hailed the deal with the private sector, saying: “We’re dealing with an unprecedented global health threat and are taking immediate and