'We're not learning from history': Government grants 900 extra beds to help the NHS cope with winter - but none for Greater Manchester

After the strain last winter put on the NHS, the government announced this week that it will fund the creation of 900 extra beds - but no money has been allocated to any hospitals in Greater Manchester.

900 new hospital beds will be created across the NHS as part of £250 million government funding to help treat patients this winter, Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay will announce today (August 15). 'The funding has been awarded to NHS trusts to relieve pressures and help cut waiting time', according to a government spokesperson.

But Greater Manchester is not included in the 30 areas benefitting from the investment. One senior NHS source has said that Greater Manchester has received funding for the expansion of emergency departments in other ways in recent years, but one GP has said that the region should be receiving funding regardless, as its patients are at an historic disadvantage.

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The government says that '30 NHS organisations across England will benefit from the investment in urgent and emergency care services - this includes developing or expanding urgent treatment centres and same day emergency care services which will help patients to be seen more quickly, without being admitted to hospital'. The NHS expects that the majority of schemes will be completed by January to help deal with winter pressures, continues the government spokesperson.

The £250m of funding is part of the £1bn NHS Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery Plan, published in January, which set out plans to provide over 5,000 additional permanent, fully staffed hospital beds in total, with the NHS on track to deliver this by winter. These new 900 beds are