HUNDREDS more hospital beds are being opened to cut wait lists and prepare for extra demand in winter.
Ministers have bankrolled 900 new NHS beds, towards a target 5,000, in the hope more ward space will speed up A&E visits and increase surgery capacity.
There are around 105,000 general medical beds in total across England.
Waiting lists last week hit another record high, with 7.6million in a queue for treatment.
Backlog-busting plans include increasing bed numbers, using more private hospital capacity and widening “virtual wards” where patients can be monitored at home.