NHS England set out its plans for the coming winter at its board meeting in Birmingham on 27 July 2023, including a nationwide rollout of care "traffic control" centres, additional ambulance hours and extra beds1.
The measures build on the Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery Plan, with over 800 new ambulances set to be in place to deliver over a million more ambulance road hours, as well as 5,000 more sustainable hospital beds and hundreds of new virtual ward beds each month1. More than 99,000 core beds will be in place across the country by December 2023, and overall virtual ward bed numbers are expected to hit an ambition of 10,000 by the end of September1. £250 million of funding has been invested since the recovery plan was published, and local NHS areas are on track to create an additional 900 beds1.
With more than 12,000 patients every day in hospital despite being medically fit for discharge, the care traffic control centres will bring together teams from across NHS, social care, housing and voluntary services in one place to co-ordinate the best and quickest discharge options for patients, either at home or into social or community care1. Around a quarter of local areas currently offer this service 12 hours a day, seven days a week, and this is set to expand to every area of the country by winter; it is expected a third of patients could be discharged using this model by December1.
The use of Acute Respiratory Infection Hubs, where patients can get urgent same-day face-to-face assessment for conditions like Covid, flu and RSV, will also be expanded to be available in every part of the country. Last winter, when first introduced, almost 730,000 patients used these services1. NHS England said Australia, whose activity often predicts what the NHS in England is likely to see in winter, is experiencing one of the biggest flu seasons on record with children particularly affected, making up four in five of flu-related hospital admissions1.
"Winter is always a busy time for the NHS and our teams are already under significant pressure, so today, we are launching a plan to further increase resilience across the country."
Plans also cover mental health, with measures to strengthen ambulance response to mental health calls, raise the profile of all-age 24/7 urgent mental health helplines and avoid long lengths of stay in mental health inpatient settings1.
| Measure | Detail | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Care traffic control centres | Co-ordinate discharge across NHS, social care, housing and voluntary services | Every area of the country by winter |
| New ambulances | Over 800, delivering over a million more ambulance road hours | Set to be in place |
| Hospital beds | 5,000 additional core general and acute beds; more than 99,000 core beds in total | By December 2023 |
| Virtual ward beds | Ambition of 10,000 | By end of September |
| Acute Respiratory Infection Hubs | Same-day face-to-face assessment for Covid, flu and RSV | Every part of the country |
Why it matters for households
The plans concern NHS capacity in England ahead of winter, when hospital admissions for respiratory conditions are twice as high as in the summer, according to Asthma + Lung UK1. The charity said winter can be a dangerous time for the 12 million people in the UK with a lung condition such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and encouraged those eligible to get the flu, Covid-19 and pneumonia vaccines, take routine medicines as prescribed and keep self-management plans up to date with their GP1. Dr Vin Diwakar, NHS medical director for transformation, said it is important that the public play their part by using services in the usual way, using 999 in an emergency and primary care or 111 online for other health conditions1.
What happens next
The care traffic control centres are set to reach every area of the country by winter, with a third of patients expected to be discharged using the model by December1. More than 99,000 core beds are due to be in place by December 2023, and virtual ward bed numbers are expected to reach the 10,000 ambition by the end of September1. The health emergencies hub covers wider health incidents, and the UK preparedness hub sets out how the UK plans for seasonal and other pressures.
