Epsom and St Helier is set to receive £6.1 million to upgrade A&E facilities to support capacities ahead of winter.

The upgrade is part of the £1.5 billion announced by the Prime Minister for hospital maintenance, hospital building and A&E expansion.

The extra £6.1m means that the Trust will be able to increase its A&E capacity, put enhanced infection prevention and control measures in place and make improvements to emergency care and urgent treatment services.

Across England, the Government is providing £300 million to A&E departments, with work to be completed by the start of next year so hospitals can benefit from the upgrades during the peak of winter.

In June, Boris Johnson announced plans to accelerate £5 billion of infrastructure spending as part of his New Deal for Britain.

The funding also comes on top of the additional £3 billion that the Prime Minister recently announced to help prepare the NHS for the winter months ahead.

Sutton MPs Elliot Colburn and Paul Scully have welcomed the news.

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Elliot Colburn said: “Staff at the Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust have worked tirelessly over recent months, and I would like to thank them for everything they have done to get our community through the pandemic.

“While we hope for the best this winter, its right that we plan for the worst.

“This funding is on top of the exciting £500 million package to deliver a brand new hospital at the old Sutton Hospital site, whilst improving and maintaining our existing hospitals, as well as protecting current services like A&E and maternity.

"The investment is a fantastic step towards the continued protection of our NHS, and I look forward to working with Paul and other local MPs to monitor the next steps and to progress the new site as quickly as possible."

Paul Scully added:

“This is a welcome and much needed boost for our healthcare provision here in Sutton.

“Whilst we're looking forward to the exciting £500 million package to deliver a brand new hospital using cutting edge healthcare technology at the old Sutton Hospital site, it is important that we support the ongoing work that our magnificent NHS staff at St. Helier carry out in the run up to the winter months."