Karin Smyth
Minister of State for Health
By preparing early, increasing capacity, improving patient flow and offering more ways to get the right care at the right time, we’re building a winter-ready NHS.
The colder months bring rising respiratory illness, surges in A&E attendances and greater pressures on beds, staff and services. This year, we’ve prepared more robustly to protect the NHS and keep patients safe — including stress testing months in advance and a huge drive on vaccinations.
We face not just a harder, longer winter, but the dangerous impact of the BMA’s decision to have resident doctors strike over one of the hardest weeks of the year.
We’re also boosting GP access to keep people well and out of hospital.
Investing in and supporting NHS staff
We’re backing the NHS with real investment and practical support to help cope with increased demand. Take vaccination — one of the most effective tools to prevent avoidable illness and keep people out of hospital. This autumn, the NHS delivered 16.2 million flu vaccines, 300,000 more than the same time last year. Vaccination reduces the risk of serious illness and frees up capacity across hospitals. It’s a real way to play your part to protect yourself, your loved ones and the NHS.
But vaccination alone isn’t enough, so we’re investing £450 million into urgent and emergency care. This means up to 500 new ambulances by March 2026, the expansion of urgent treatment centres and tougher performance standards that drive improvement and accountability.
We’re also boosting GP access to keep people well and out of hospital. Through advertising campaigns, new online access routes and more GP practices open for longer hours over the Christmas period, we’re making sure more people can be seen closer to home. When people get early GP help, they’re less likely to end up in A&E.
Despite the BMA deliberately choosing the worst time of year to put more unreasonable strain on the NHS and their colleagues, our priority remains clear: safeguarding patient care and supporting staff on the front line.
With the right investment, preparation and the dedication of NHS staff, people can get the care they need this winter — and lay the foundations for the long-term modernisation it needs.
