New Government Plan Aims to Improve Urgent and Emergency Care

The Government has announced a new package of reforms and investment aimed at improving urgent and emergency care services in England. The plan, backed by nearly £450 million, was published by the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and Health Secretary Wes Streeting MP.

The measures aim to deliver faster, more appropriate care for patients — particularly during the coming winter period — and to tackle persistent delays in ambulance services and hospital emergency departments (A&E).

Key elements of the plan include:

• Around 40 new Same Day Emergency Care and Urgent Treatment Centres to treat and discharge patients on the same day, avoiding unnecessary hospital admissions.
• Up to 15 Mental Health Crisis Assessment Centres to provide timely specialist care and reduce the number of patients in mental health crisis waiting in A&E.
• Almost 500 new ambulances to be rolled out across the country by March 2026.
• A shift in care delivery from hospital to community settings, to ease demand on A&E departments and hospital beds.

The plan also promotes wider use of:

• Paramedic-led care in the community, enabling ambulance crews to treat patients at home or at the scene.
• Urgent Community Response teams, supporting people at home and reducing avoidable hospital admissions.
• Virtual wards, providing hospital-level care in patients’ homes with the support of technology.

NHS England will ask local health systems to create robust winter plans to ensure readiness and resilience in 2025-26, with regular testing of these plans ahead of the winter period.

The Government estimates that the reforms could result in 800,000 fewer patients waiting more than four hours in A&E this year.

The plan responds to rising demand: since 2010-11, ambulance service usage has increased by 61%, and A&E attendances have nearly doubled. At least one in five people attending A&E do not require emergency care and could be better supported in the community.

Stakeholders from across the NHS and emergency care services welcomed the early announcement of the plan, highlighting its focus on system-wide collaboration, reducing handover delays, and expanding community-based care options.

The Rural Services Network is keen to hear from members on what this plan could mean for rural patients and services, particularly where distance, transport access and service availability present additional challenges.

• What opportunities or gaps do you see in the proposed measures for rural areas?
• How might the plan impact ambulance response times and community care in your localities?

Please share your views with us — your feedback helps shape our advocacy and response.