The UK Government has announced an investment of approximately £450m ($609.99m) to reform emergency care services, aiming to reduce waiting times and improve patient experiences.
Part of the ‘Plan for Change’, the initiative is designed to provide better, faster, and more appropriate care, particularly during emergencies.
The funding will establish approximately 40 new emergency care and urgent treatment centres, treating patients and discharging them on the same day. This approach aims to eliminate unnecessary hospital admissions.
In addition, up to 15 mental health crisis assessment centres will be created to provide timely specialist support and direct patients to the appropriate care, preventing long waits in accident and emergency (A&E).
The reforms include the launch of approximately 500 new ambulances by March 2026, which will help address ambulance handover delays and corridor care.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Far too many patients are ending up in A&E who don’t need or want to be there, because there isn’t anywhere 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 aim is to improve care between winter 2025 and 2026, ensuring more patients receive care within their communities.
Paramedic-led care in the community will be enhanced, allowing for better care at the scene where the accident occurred or in patients’ homes.
The expansion of urgent community response teams will also help in offering urgent care at home, with local areas required to demonstrate how they will improve access to these services.
The plan also promotes the use of virtual wards, using modern technology to offer hospital-level care at home.
To drive transparency and accountability, performance league tables will be published, encouraging collaboration between less effective systems and high-performing ones to facilitate improvement.
The investment and reforms are expected to result in 800,000 fewer people waiting over four hours for care in emergency departments this year.
This announcement follows a previous allocation of £750m for essential maintenance across more than 400 NHS hospitals, mental health units, and ambulance sites in England earlier this month.
