NHS short of over £1bn for Covid second wave and onset of winter

Exclusive: Hospitals in England each have up to 20m less than they need to cope in coming months

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The NHS has been given in excess of 1bn less than it needs to tackle the second wave of Covid-19, deal with the coming winter and restart routine operations, the Guardian has learned.

The disclosure raises questions about the pledge from the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, at the start of the pandemic to give the NHS whatever resources it needs" to cope with the pandemic.