The UK government has announced reforms to enhance the patient experience by reducing the waiting times in accident and emergency (A&E) departments.
The initiative, backed by a £450m investment, is part of the government’s Plan for Change to modernise NHS services and enhance emergency care delivery.
It will focus on expanding urgent and emergency care facilities to prevent 800,000 patients annually from waiting over four hours in A&E departments.
Around 40 new Same Day Emergency Care and Urgent Treatment Centres will be opened to treat and discharge patients on the same day, reducing unnecessary hospital admissions.
In addition, up to 15 mental health crisis assessment centres will be introduced to provide appropriate care settings for patients, avoiding prolonged A&E waits.
The centres will offer timely access to specialist support, ensuring patients receive care in the right environment.
NHS Chief Executive Sir Jim Mackey said: “Urgent and emergency care services provide a life-saving first line of defence for patients – but for too long now, despite the incredible hard work of staff, the speed and quality of NHS care has often not been good enough.
“Our patients and staff deserve better, so that is why we need a radical change in approach and to ensure we get the basics right.
“This major plan sets out how we will work together to resuscitate NHS urgent and emergency care, with a focus on getting patients out of corridors, keeping more ambulances on the road, and enable those ready to leave hospital can do so as soon as possible.”
The initiative also includes the rollout of nearly 500 new ambulances across the country by March 2026.
It aims to shift patient care to more suitable settings, aligning with the government’s strategy to transition from hospital to community-based care.
Further measures to enhance community care include increased paramedic-led services, allowing for effective treatment at accident scenes or in patients’ homes.
UK’s Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting said: “The package of investment and reforms we are announcing today will help the NHS treat more patients in the community, so they don’t end up stuck on trolleys in A&E.
“Hundreds of new ambulances will help cut the unacceptably long waiting times we’ve seen in recent years.
“And new centres for patients going through a mental health crisis will provide better care and keep them out of A&E, which are not well equipped to care for them.”
Urgent community response teams will expand, providing urgent care at home and reducing hospital admissions.
Local areas will be tasked with outlining how they will enhance access to these teams.
The use of virtual wards will also be optimised, enabling patients to receive hospital-level care at home, which facilitates quicker recovery and frees up hospital beds.
In addition, performance league tables will be published to promote transparency and accountability, boosting collaboration between less effective and high-performing systems.
The investment and reforms are expected to significantly reduce emergency department wait times, benefiting patients across the nation.
NHS urgent and emergency care national director Sarah-Jane Marsh said: “While the 10 Year Health Plan will set out a longer-term vision to transform urgent and emergency services for the 21st century, there is so much more we could all be doing now.
“This plan sets out not only what we know is working across the country, but how systems must work together to improve access and quality for the benefit of our patients.
“In order to support this shift in delivery focus, NHS England will be asking providers and systems to be accountable to their own local Boards and populations, creating robust winter plans which will be tested during winter exercises throughout September.”
