The government has announced that the NHS in England is to receive £5.9bn as part of the Budget, which will be released later this week.

The funding will help to clear the NHS backlog caused by the pandemic.

Currently, the NHS has a waiting list of more than five million people waiting for checks, tests and scans.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak confirmed on the Andrew Marr show on Sunday that the money would help to digitise the NHS and would be “game-changing”.

Mr Sunak said: “We are committed to getting health services back on track and ensuring no one is left waiting for vital tests or treatment.

“This is a game-changing investment in the NHS to make sure we have the right buildings, equipment and systems to get patients the help they need and make sure the NHS is fit for the future.”

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Included in the total is £1.5bn for more beds, new equipment and “surgical hubs” with four to five surgical theatres to tackle the growing waiting lists.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid, said: “Our phenomenal NHS has worked so hard to keep people safe during the pandemic and we’ll do whatever it takes to make sure people are getting the treatment they need as quickly as possible.

“This £6 billion investment will support the delivery of millions more checks, scans and procedures for patients across the country.

“Business as usual won’t be enough, that’s why we are going to reform care with more community diagnostic centres, new surgical hubs and the latest technology to help recover NHS services by tackling waiting lists.”

A record number of patients are currently waiting for surgery and more than 385,000 patients have been waiting more than a year.

A new report has suggested that the waiting lists could rise to 14 million people next year if the backlog is not dealt with.