Local health system awarded funding to help reduce patient waiting lists.

Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care System (BLMK ICS) has been awarded funding to help the local health system reduce patient waiting lists which have increased during the Covid pandemic.

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been allocated £5.9 million from this funding, which will be used to convert the current Cauldwell Building at Bedford Hospital so that it can deliver additional outpatient appointments.

The investment will create 20 extra outpatient consultation rooms, which can be used for face to face or virtual consultations. This will help the trust’s recovery from the Covid pandemic and reduce their patient waiting lists by delivering an extra 60,000 outpatient appointments each year. It is anticipated that the project will be completed by March 2022.

Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has also been allocated £3 million for Enhanced Diagnostic Capital.

A further £4.47 million has been awarded to the BLMK ICS following a number of successful digital bids, which will enable us to interact with and support our patients both at home and during their care pathway.

Felicity Cox, Chief Executive Designate, Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care System, said:

“This capital investment is a welcome boost to local health services and our population across BLMK. The Covid pandemic has increased the pressures on our local system and unfortunately patient waiting lists have increased. This funding will help our local NHS reduce our patient waiting lists as quickly as possible to ensure that our patients are given the right care at the right time.