MONEY used to upgrade A&E facilities at Furness General Hospital will help stop patients ‘waiting on corridors’, trust bosses have said.

The trust that runs the hospital signalled its plans after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that NHS trusts across England would receive £300 million, to upgrade facilities ahead of the winter amid fears of a second wave of Coronavirus.

The Prime Minister said the additional cash would enable hospitals to maintain essential services and reduce the risk of the Covid-19 infection during the coming months - with £1.9 million set aside for the University Hospital of Morecambe Bay Trust.

Kate Maynard, the chief operating officer insisted the funding would improve patient experiences.

She said: “I’m pleased for our local communities and colleagues that UHMBT has been informed today that it will receive an allocation of £2 million as part of the Prime Minister’s announcement."

“These funds are part of the NHS preparation for winter and the risk of further outbreaks of Cronavirus. Our plans include improving the capacity at our two emergency departments in the Furness General Hospital and Royal Lancaster Infirmary.

“This investment will also help to further improve the experience for both patients and colleagues as well as removing patients waiting on corridors, which is not something that any of us want to see in our hospitals.”

Funding is set to be used by hospitals to increase A&E capacity, with more treatment cubicles and expanded waiting areas to be created to ease overcrowding and improve infection control.

Announcing the fund, Boris Johnson said: “These upgrades will help our fantastic NHS prepare for the winter months, helping them to deliver essential services and reduce the risk of Coronavirus infections."

Officials said the hospital projects would be completed by the start of 2021. That means they would benefit from the upgrades during the peak months of winter, when demands on health services and emergency care are at their height.