Thousands of vulnerable patients will receive more proactive support from their GP this winter thanks to a £40 million government-funded programme, set out by the Prime Minister and the Health Secretary today.
\n\nThe programme will help keep people well at home and prevent avoidable hospital admissions as the government ramps up preparations to bolster the NHS for the winter pressures ahead.
\n\nPatients with conditions like heart disease, frailty or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease will get access to additional support from their GP, tailored to their needs and designed to help them avoid reaching a crisis point and needing to go to hospital.
\n\nBacking greater, easier access to care in the local community is a key part of the government’s work to rebuild the NHS and ensure people get the right treatment where and when they need it.
\n\nPrime Minister Andy Burnham said:
\n\n\n\n\nIf we want to take the pressure off our hospitals this winter, we’ve got to keep people well at home. So we’re backing GPs to reach the most vulnerable people early, before a small problem turns into a trip to A&E.
\n\nPeople deserve the right care in the right place. And our NHS staff, who work so hard, deserve the right tools to provide it.
\n\nI’m not going to pretend this winter will be easy. But with new technology, upgrades for hospitals and more care available closer to home, we’ll make sure the NHS is there for everyone when they need it.
\n
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Yvette Cooper said:
\n\n\n\n\nThis practical plan helps GPs and local teams to provide more support for the frailest patients in the community to keep them well through the winter months - that is better for patients and means they are also less likely to need hospital care.
\n\nAfter such a heavy summer for our NHS as a result of the heat, everyone is working together to prepare for more challenging winter pressures. That includes the roll out of flu vaccinations, investing in extra urgent care capacity and strengthening partnerships with social care.
\n\nWith thousands more GPs in post and millions more GP appointments this year, the £40m programme to support vulnerable patients in the community is part of our plan to help patients, improve primary care and also to support our NHS through the heavier winter months.
\n
Shifting care out of hospitals and into the community not only eases pressure on emergency departments so they can focus on patients in greatest need of urgent care, but also makes it possible for patients to receive care more conveniently in their local neighbourhood rather than having to make unnecessary and time-consuming hospital trips.
\n\nThe ring-fenced funding will support GP practices to proactively identify and provide additional care for the patients they consider most at risk of becoming seriously unwell this winter. Primary Care Networks (PCNs) will be able to receive £126 for each eligible patient supported.
\n\nThe extra support will be particularly targeted at patients with heart disease, frailty, emphysema and other types of COPD, and could include medication reviews, health checks and nurse-led respiratory clinics for up to 300,000 people across the country.
\n\nThis will help general practice play an even greater role in preparing the NHS for winter by keeping vulnerable patients well and helping prevent avoidable hospital admissions.
\n\nThe funding comes alongside greater flexibility for practices to increase GP capacity as pressures rise. Since October, practices can use GP reimbursement funding to bring in locum GPs, giving them greater freedom to respond to local demand.
\n\nThere are now more than 2,800 additional GPs compared with July 2024, and more than 30,500 fully qualified full-time equivalent GPs are now working in general practice, the highest number in over a decade. As a result, patients are seeing improvements in GP access, with over 400 million appointments delivered over the past year, around 24 million more than in the equivalent twelve-month period in the run-up to July 2024.
\n\nAccording to the 2026 GP patient survey, more than three quarters of patients say their overall experience of their local general practice is ‘good’’. Patient satisfaction with ease of access to their local GP has also risen to 75.5%, up 15 percentage points from July 2024.
\n\nDr Amanda Doyle, National Director for Primary Care and Community Services at NHS England, said:
\n\n\n\n\nGPs and their teams are delivering record numbers of appointments this year, and with their role at the heart of communities, they are perfectly placed to spot patients at greatest risk of becoming very unwell.
\n\nBy offering more support to our most vulnerable patients such as home assessments to prevent falls, we will help keep them well and prevent them ending up in hospital this winter.
\n
Professor Andy Brooks, Clinical Chair, National Association of Primary Care (NAPC), said:
\n\n\n\n\nWe welcome this investment, and the ambition here is right. Proactive, personalised care for the people most at risk is where general practice adds great value, and NAPC will be supporting practices to make the most of the opportunity that this scheme offers.
\n\nThis is a valuable first step, and we’d like to see national policy go even further. We look forward to working with the government to learn from this scheme and build sustainable, lasting proactive care within neighbourhoods.
\n
Ruth Rankine, Director of Primary Care, Community and Neighbourhood Health at the NHS Alliance, said:
\n\n\n\n\nPractices know which of their patients are most at risk this winter. This funding gives them the capacity to act early, with medication reviews, health checks and support for people with frailty and long-term conditions, before problems turn into hospital admissions.
\n\nThat’s better for patients and better for the NHS. It also moves care closer to home, where it should be. The next step is to make this kind of proactive care a permanent part of how neighbourhood health is funded and delivered.
\n
The £40m forms part of wider action to prepare the NHS for winter, alongside additional funding for urgent care, expanded Pharmacy First Services and the winter vaccination programme, which is giving people vital protection against winter illnesses.
\n\nBy 1 November, more than 13.6 million people in England had received their flu vaccine. That is around 300,000 more than at the same point last year. Among school-aged children, 2.4 million had been vaccinated, almost half a million more than at the same point last year.
\n\nThe government has also invested in upgrades for the ambulance fleet across England, with almost 2,000 new or replacement frontline ambulances delivered to services since July 2024. Thanks to investment in new scanners and cutting edge AI technology, a million more scans have also been delivered, with 125 additional CT and MRI scanners now operational across the NHS since March 2024.
\n\nThe NHS received £190 million in the Budget to manage winter pressures, alongside £140 million for 14 new urgent care schemes. A further 25 new or expanded urgent care sites will be open this winter, including a £29 million same-day emergency care (SDEC) unit which opened on 20 October at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Kent. It is expected to accommodate an additional 60 patients a day which will help to reduce the pressure on an emergency department that normally sees around 350 patients daily.
\n\nEast Kent Hospital Trust’s Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, Sarah said:
\n\n\n\n\nThe SDEC units will help us to provide a faster and more convenient alternative for patients to see a team of experts immediately, and receive rapid assessment, diagnosis and treatment – allowing them to be home again the very same day.
\n\nThis is also a positive milestone for our staff as it supports our work to reduce corridor care, and relieve the pressure on our Emergency Departments.
\n
Ed Kennedy, Director of the Institute of General Practice Management (IGPM), said:
\n\n\n\n\nWe welcome this £40 million commitment to supporting preventative care in general practice this winter.
\n\nGeneral practice teams know their patients and are well placed to identify those most vulnerable, providing proactive and personalised care that helps people stay well and reduces avoidable pressure on hospitals.
\n\nBy giving practices additional resources to support patients before their conditions deteriorate, we can help more people remain well at home and avoid unnecessary hospital admissions during the winter months.
\n
Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown, President of the Royal College of GPs, said:
\n\n\n\n\nWe welcome the focus on prevention and supporting patients at greatest risk of avoidable hospital admission this winter. GPs’ clinical expertise, knowledge of their patients and continuity of care are central to identifying those most in need and providing personalised, coordinated support.
\n\nIt is important that this initiative recognises differences in patient needs and health inequalities across communities, and gives practices the flexibility to respond effectively.
\n\nShort-term initiatives alone cannot deliver the sustained improvements in care that patients with complex health needs require. We hope the evaluation will inform a longer-term approach to prevention, supported by sustainable investment in general practice.
\n
Dr Matt Swallow, Clinical Lead at Asthma + Lung UK, said:
\n\n\n\nWinter can be particularly challenging for people living with COPD, who have an increased risk of flare-ups and emergency admissions. Cold weather can irritate the airways, increase mucus production, and worsen symptoms such as coughing, wheezing and breathlessness. Seasonal respiratory infections, including influenza and COVID-19, can also trigger serious exacerbations.
\n\nThe connection between lung health and winter pressures on the NHS is clear. Yet too many people with lung conditions are still missing out on the care and support they need. This additional investment is a positive step, helping GPs identify and support those most at risk, reducing avoidable deterioration and hospital admissions.
\n
The Minister for the Civil Service is responsible for regulating the Civil Service.
\n\nThe Civil Service (Management Functions) Act of 1992, allows the Minister for the Civil Service to delegate power to other ministers and devolved administrations.
\n\nThis role was created in 1968 and is always held by the Prime Minister.
\n","role_payment_type":null,"seniority":3,"whip_organisation":{}},"document_type":"ministerial_role","links":{},"locale":"en","public_updated_at":"2022-09-28T11:40:15Z","schema_name":"role","title":"Minister for the Civil Service","web_url":"https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-for-the-civil-service","withdrawn":false},{"api_path":"/api/content/government/ministers/secretary-of-state-for-health-and-social-care","api_url":"https://www.gov.uk/api/content/government/ministers/secretary-of-state-for-health-and-social-care","base_path":"/government/ministers/secretary-of-state-for-health-and-social-care","content_id":"25fa7393-375b-46ef-ab91-1b2bb9ef0e7f","details":{"body":"The Secretary of State is responsible for the work of the Department of Health and Social Care, including:
\n\n