NHS urgent care in England gets almost £140m for 14 schemes ahead of winter
The government says the funding will support treatment centres, same-day care, ambulances and emergency department upgrades as NHS leaders warn of winter pressure.
The UK government announced almost £140 million for 14 urgent-care schemes across England on 18 October, aiming to increase NHS capacity before winter. The plans include treatment centres, same-day emergency care, ambulance fleets and emergency department upgrades, as hospitals face heavy demand and concern about an early flu season.
Health and Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper said winter would be more challenging for the NHS after a heavy summer. The government says preparations for seasonal illnesses, including flu and norovirus, have been under way since July.
What the £140 million urgent-care plan includes
The 14 newly funded schemes cover different parts of urgent and emergency care, from urgent treatment centres and same-day services to ambulance capacity and hospital upgrades. The government also says 25 new or expanded urgent-care sites announced in April will open in time for winter; those sites are separate from the 14 schemes in the latest announcement.
The funding forms part of almost £2 billion the government says it is investing in urgent-care capital projects through 2030. It separately says £1.5 billion has been confirmed so far for projects addressing urgent maintenance problems across the NHS estate. The urgent-care investment is intended to help patients get care closer to home and ease pressure on hospitals.
Why NHS leaders expect a difficult winter
Almost 7.3 million people attended A&E between June and August, the highest total for a summer period, according to Press Association reporting published by the Guardian. The report also cited a summer of extreme heat and warnings that flu and norovirus could add to pressure on services in the colder months.
NHS national medical director Prof Frankie Swords said hospital flu admissions were the highest she could remember for this time of year, according to the Guardian. Emma Rowland, NHS England’s executive director for performance and delivery, said investment in same-day emergency care and urgent treatment centres would help patients receive care in the right setting. She urged eligible people to get vaccinated against flu and other winter viruses.
Patricia Marquis, executive director of the Royal College of Nursing England, welcomed the additional money in the short term but called it ‘just another sticking plaster on a system that is at breaking point’, the Guardian reported. She said the nursing workforce needed to deliver the services was already short of staff and under strain going into winter.
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Sources and context
- £140 million boost to urgent care to ease winter pressures on NHSDepartment of Health and Social Care; NHS England; The Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP
- Yvette Cooper pledges £140m to boost urgent care as NHS faces ‘tough’ winterThe Guardian; reporting credited to Press Association
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.