£140 million boost to urgent care to ease winter pressures on NHS

• £140 million invested into 14 new urgent care schemes from new urgent treatment centres and ambulance fleets to emergency department upgrades
• Additional 25 new or expanded urgent care sites opening in time for winter 
• Public encouraged to get flu jabs to help ease pressure on the NHS this winter

After the busiest summer in NHS history, the government is boosting urgent care capacity as the health service prepares for one of our most challenging winters.

Today (18 October), the government is announcing that almost £140 million will be invested in 14 new urgent care schemes across England, including new urgent treatment centres (UTCs) and same day emergency care services (SDECs), new ambulance fleets, and emergency department upgrades, providing a significant increase in frontline and urgent care capacity.

A further 25 new or expanded urgent care sites announced in April will be open for winter, providing additional frontline capacity as the NHS prepares for the heavy demands of the colder months.

The investment follows a summer of record NHS activity and extreme heat. With seasonal illnesses, including flu and norovirus, adding to the heavy workload over winter, the NHS has been preparing since July to meet patients’ needs and protect patient safety.

Health and Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper said:

Winter will be more challenging for our NHS this year, after such a heavy summer. That’s why we have been preparing early and investing in extra urgent care capacity to help get patients the care they need.

NHS staff worked incredibly hard to keep on top of the extra pressure this summer. Now we need to support them in delivering for patients through the winter season, so our NHS is there for all of us when we need it.

In total, the government is investing almost £2 billion in urgent care capital projects until 2030, improving facilities and ensuring people can get care closer to home, on top of a £1.5 billion investment confirmed so far for projects to address urgent maintenance problems across the NHS estate.

Dr Emma Rowland, NHS Executive Director for Performance and Delivery, said:

We know this winter will be tough for the NHS and we’re doing everything we can to reduce pressure on our emergency departments and make sure patients get the care they need, while protecting our staff.

Investment in same-day emergency care and urgent treatment centres will help more patients get the right care in the right place, at the right time.

Prevention is just as important, so if you’re eligible for a flu or other winter vaccination then please come forward and get protected.

Vaccination helps protect you, your family, some of the most vulnerable people in our communities and, for those working in health and social care, the patients we care for.

Alongside increasing urgent care capacity, the government has expanded the Pharmacy First scheme, so people can get support with a wider range of common conditions at their local pharmacy, and enhanced GP access through evening, weekend and out-of-hours appointments during the colder months.

Prevention remains one of the best ways to protect patients and services, which is why more community pharmacies are offering the flu jab this year, with eligibility expanded to include more vulnerable groups, including people experiencing homelessness. The NHS is also rolling out digital tools to simplify the booking process for parents, schools and vaccination teams. Over 7.4 million flu vaccinations had been delivered in England by 11 October. So far, more children have been vaccinated this year than last.

This winter, the single best thing eligible people can do is get their flu jab and other vaccines, to protect themselves against preventable illness and help relieve pressure on the NHS. Booking is open now.

Sir Ciarán Devane, Chief Executive of the NHS Alliance, said: 

This is a welcome investment to strengthen NHS urgent and emergency care and frontline capacity. 

NHS leaders and their teams continue to work hard to provide high-quality, timely care as services prepare for the winter months. 

With demand on NHS services remaining high, the priority needs to be easing pressure on hospitals, improving patient flow and supporting more people to receive care closer to home or return home sooner.” 

ENDS

Notes to editors

Confirmed locations of the new urgent care schemes:

Region	Hospital	Funding	Type of scheme	How it will benefit patients
East of England	Lister Hospital, Stevenage	£2 million	More escalation, general and acute beds	More patients can be admitted from A&E into appropriate hospital beds during busy periods, reducing delays in the emergency department and helping the hospital manage winter demand by improving patient flow.
East of England	Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge	£7.7 million over four years	Coordination Centre digital development	Better real-time coordination of beds, discharges and urgent admissions will help staff manage hospital capacity and move patients through the hospital more efficiently.
East of England	Basildon Hospital	£6 million over two years	Emergency Department improvements and refurbishment	Doubling the rapid assessment, triage and treatment area from three bays to eight, allowing more patients to be assessed simultaneously and improving patient flow to reduce delays.
East of England	James Paget University Hospital, Gorleston	£10 million	New Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC)	Patients with urgent but non-life-threatening conditions will have access to a dedicated treatment setting, reducing pressure on the main A&E department and allowing emergency teams to focus on the most seriously ill patients.
East of England	Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn	£3.9 million	Upgrade of existing Urgent Treatment Centre	Improvements will strengthen the hospital’s ability to assess and treat minor illnesses and injuries separately from the main emergency department, preserving A&E capacity for patients with more serious conditions.
East of England	Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital	£4.86 million	Emergency Department refurbishment	Permanent improvements to the emergency department will provide extra capacity for emergency assessment and treatment.
London	London Emergency Department digital transformation	£18.4 million over three years	Digital systems for Emergency Departments across London	Digital check-in and triage tools will help identify patients’ needs earlier and direct them towards appropriate services, improving patient flow and helping tackle delays.
London	Queen’s Hospital, Romford	£42.1 million	Comprehensive A&E transformation and reconfiguration	It will transform its overstretched A&E department, which was built to see around 325 patients a day but now regularly treats more than twice that number. The investment will create a modern emergency department with improved patient flow, dedicated waiting areas, better visibility for staff, a refurbished Children’s A&E and enhanced digital systems. This should help reduce waiting times, corridor care and pressure on staff, while improving patient safety, dignity and experience.
Midlands	Shrewsbury ambulance hub	£12 million	Replacement ambulance operational hub	A modern base with expanded vehicle preparation, maintenance and staff facilities will improve ambulance readiness and reliability, helping crews respond to patients more effectively.
Midlands	East Midlands Ambulance Service	£6.35 million	40 additional double-crewed ambulances	More ambulances and frontline staff will increase the service’s capacity to respond to 999 calls, particularly during periods of high demand, and help crews reach patients sooner.
Midlands	Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham	£12.9 million	New Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) facility	Dedicated emergency care facilities will support patients who can safely be assessed and treated within a day, potentially avoiding an overnight hospital stay.
North East and Yorkshire	University Hospital of North Tees	£1 million over two years	Emergency Department refurbishment	Refurbishment of the emergency department entrance, reception and waiting areas will aim to reduce overcrowding, improve patient flow and make it easier for people to be assessed and directed to the right care first time, including faster access to community-based services.
North East and Yorkshire	Airedale General Hospital	£6.76 million	New Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) facility	Dedicated emergency care facilities will support patients who can safely be assessed and treated within a day, potentially avoiding an overnight hospital stay.
North West	Royal Albert Edward Infirmary, Wigan	£4.7 million	Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) relocation and improvement	Improved SDEC facilities closer to A&E and diagnostic services will help suitable patients access assessment and treatment more efficiently and return home the same day where appropriate.

Schemes announced in April ready for this winter:

Region	Hospital	Type of scheme	Status
Midlands	Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham	New UTC	Open
Midlands	Northampton General Hospital	New UTC	Open
Midlands	Royal Stoke University Hospital	New UTC	Open
South West	Salisbury District Hospital	New UTC	Expected December 2026
South East	Royal Hampshire County Hospital	New UTC	Expected December 2026
South East	Southampton General Hospital	New UTC	Expected November 2026
London	North Middlesex Hospital	New UTC	Expected December 2026
North West	Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport	UTC expansion	Open
South East	Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital, Margate	UTC expansion	Open
South West	Dorset County Hospital	UTC expansion	Open
North East and Yorkshire	Barnsley District General Hospital	New SDEC	Open
South East	Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital, Margate	New SDEC	Open
South East	Southampton General Hospital	New SDEC	Expected November 2026
North East and Yorkshire	Bassetlaw Hospital	SDEC expansion	Open
North East and Yorkshire	Harrogate District Hospital	SDEC expansion	Open
North East and Yorkshire	Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust	SDEC expansion	Expected January 2027
North West	Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust	SDEC expansion	Open
South East	Abingdon Community Hospital	SDEC expansion	Open
South East	Wexham Park Hospital	SDEC expansion	Open
South East	Royal Berkshire Hospital	SDEC expansion	Open
South East	William Harvey Hospital, Ashford	SDEC expansion	Expected October 2026
South East	Frimley Park Hospital	SDEC expansion	Open
South West	Derriford Hospital	SDEC expansion	Open
South West	Torbay District General Hospital	SDEC expansion	Open
South West	Royal Devon	SDEC expansion	Expected January 2027