The UK Government sets out reforms to tackle waiting times in A&E and invest in better and faster NHS emergency care
In a monumental stride towards enhancing NHS emergency care this winter, the UK government unleashes a wave of new investments in ambulance services across the nation. The plan, of epic proportions, includes the deployment of additional state-of-the-art ambulances and targeted measures to slash A&E waiting times, to deliver swifter, more effective care for patients during the NHS’s busiest season.
New urgent and emergency care plan 2025-2026 announced
The plan, urgent and emergency care plan 2025 to 2026, is backed by nearly £450 million to deliver three main objectives in NHS emergency care:
- Around 40 new same-day emergency care and urgent treatment centres – treat and discharge patients on the same day, avoiding unnecessary hospital admissions.
- Up to 15 mental health crisis assessment centres provide care in the right place for patients and avoid them waiting in A&E for hours for care, which is not the most appropriate setting for people who are experiencing a crisis. These centres will offer people timely access to specialist support and ensure they are directed to the proper care.
- Almost 500 new ambulances will also be rolled out across the country by March 2026.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting commented: “No patient should ever be left waiting for hours in hospital corridors or for an ambulance which ought to arrive in minutes.
We can’t fix more than a decade of underinvestment and neglect overnight. However, through the measures we’re setting out today, we will deliver faster and more convenient care for patients in emergency situations.
Far too many patients end up in A&E who don’t need or want to be there because there is nowhere else available. Because patients can’t get a GP appointment, which costs the NHS £40, they end up in A&E, which costs around £400 – worse for patients and more expensive for the taxpayer.
The package of investment and reforms we are announcing today will help the NHS treat more patients in the community, so they don’t end up stuck on trolleys in A&E. Hundreds of new ambulances will help cut the unacceptably long waiting times we’ve seen in recent years. And new centres for patients going through a mental health crisis will provide better care and keep them out of A&E departments, which are not well equipped to care for them.
By shifting staff and resources out of hospitals and into communities, and modernising NHS technology and equipment, our Plan for Change will make sure the NHS can be there for you when you need it, once again.”
The current state of NHS emergency care
More than 140,000 people access urgent and emergency care services in England every day. The demand for the service has almost doubled since 2010-2011, and ambulance service usage by 61%.
Data confirm that A&E waiting time standards have not been met for over 10 years, and the 18-minute target for category two ambulances has never been achieved outside the COVID-19 pandemic.
Furthermore, at least one in five people who attend A&E do not require urgent or emergency care, while an even larger number could be better cared for in the community.
NHS National Director for Urgent and Emergency Care, Sarah-Jane Marsh, said: “It is vital that patients can access our urgent and emergency care services in the right place at the right time and that the care provided is to a standard we would want for ourselves and our own families.
While the 10-Year Health Plan will outline a longer-term vision to transform urgent and emergency services for the 21st century, there is much more we could all be doing now.
This plan outlines not only what we know works across the country, but also how systems must collaborate to improve access and quality for the benefit of our patients.
To support this shift in delivery focus, NHS England will be asking providers and systems to be accountable to their local boards and populations, creating robust winter plans which will be tested during winter exercises throughout September.”
The UK Government sets ambitious but achievable targets this upcoming winter
The plan is designed to significantly improve the upcoming winter, setting ambitious yet achievable targets and increasing transparency about progress, instilling a sense of hope and optimism in the public.
Starting with a fundamental shift in the approach to urgent and emergency care, transforming fragmented efforts into genuine collaboration across the entire system, and improving coordination between NHS trusts and primary care.
The plan will see more patients receive care in the community, rather than being unnecessarily admitted into the hospital, through measures including:
- More paramedic-led care in the community means patients will receive more effective treatment at the scene of an accident or in their own homes from ambulance crews.
- Increasing numbers of patients are being seen by urgent community response teams, which provide urgent care in people’s homes, helping to avoid hospital admissions and enabling individuals to live independently for longer. Local areas will be instructed to outline how they will expand access to these teams, which includes understanding the level of need.
- Better use of virtual wards, which utilise modern technology to provide patients with hospital-level care in the safety and comfort of their own homes, speeds up their recovery while freeing up hospital beds for those who need them most.
- Publishing league tables on performance to drive improved transparency and public accountability, as well as encouraging less effective systems to work more closely with high-performing systems to accelerate improvement.
Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) Managing Director Anna Parry said: “The new urgent and emergency care plan reaffirms AACE’s vision for the future of NHS ambulance services. By extending and formalising a wider ambulance sector remit in urgent and emergency care, we will be better positioned to help resolve some of the key system pressures, reduce risks for patients, and transform patient care while offering a more positive working environment for our staff.
By underscoring the importance of a system-wide focus to achieve improvements in urgent and emergency care, this new plan presents a genuine challenge to all health and social care leaders, encouraging them to plan and act with purpose to achieve the necessary transformation. Ambulance service leaders continue to proactively seek increased opportunities for greater collaboration with system partners while identifying new strategies and initiatives within their own ambulance trusts to achieve the transformation targets outlined in the plan.
We are particularly heartened to see the plan’s emphasis on reducing and improving the management of hospital handover delays. Handover delays have the most detrimental impact on ambulance resources, creating unnecessary delays and additional harm to thousands of patients each year. The elimination of corridor care and the focus on reducing 12-hour wait times at emergency departments are also welcomed.
Finally, we wholeheartedly endorse and support the plan’s underlined recognition of the impact of the delivery of sub-optimal care on NHS staff, alongside the pivotal role both leadership and a strong system-level approach must play in the transformation of urgent and emergency care.”
