Government Announce £2.9 Billion to Strengthen Care Sector during Coronavirus Outbreak

Last week, The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced that £2.9 billion in funding is to go towards strengthening care for the vulnerable during the recent global outbreak of the coronavirus.  

The funding comes as part of the £5bn COVID-19 fund announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak earlier this month. This is what he had to say about the new fund and how it will help the NHS and other public services:  

“Our £5bn Budget response fund is now being used to free up more beds in hospitals and ensure some of our most vulnerable people are getting the care they need. The government will continue to lay out comprehensive and coordinated responses to get this country through this situation.” 

It is estimated that the funding will help free up over 15,000 hospital beds across England. Hospitals will have more capacity to treat patients in need of urgent care, including those being cared for with coronavirus.  

The government continues to monitor the pressures on the NHS and on local governments. In many of the PM’s and Chancellor of the Exchequer’s speeches, a commitment to ensure that these public services have all the resources they need during the outbreak is a key point which is consistently brought across. 

Many organisations like the British Healthcare Trade Association (BHTA) and the Alzheimers Society welcomes the extra funding for the care sector, while also lending their own support to businesses and anyone affected by dementia during this difficult time. As the country is going into lockdown and many people are working from home, those in the care sector continue to try and support those who need it, even if it is not coronavirus related.