Responding to the announcement of capital for A&E departments, release of flu and winter planning letters and publication of the NHS winter review led by Pauline Philip, the chief executive of NHS Providers, Chris Hopson, said:

"Last winter was extremely tough for trusts and frontline staff, but this winter review shows the real achievements their hard work delivered for patients, service users and carers.

"In particular, trusts worked with local partners to reduce delays in discharging people who were ready to be transferred to a different setting. They rapidly expanded same day emergency care units – sometimes known as to as ambulatory care - avoiding the need to admit people overnight where possible. And they extended GP assessment for people coming in to A&E to help patients get to the most appropriate care more quickly. The result was more people treated within the four hour standard than ever before – a really significant achievement.

We welcome the bringing forward of capital funding so that trusts can improve and extend their A&E departments – trusts consistently tell us that they are struggling to cope with demand.

   

"We welcome the bringing forward of capital funding so that trusts can improve and extend their A&E departments – trusts consistently tell us that they are struggling to cope with demand that is far in excess of what their A&E departments were built to handle.

"However, we are worried about the coming winter. Demand for treatment is rising relentlessly, staff vacancies are at record levels, and after a difficult summer, staff have been working at full tilt without any break. It’s important that the government recognises just how hard trusts and their staff are working. The single biggest thing the government could do now to make a difference for the NHS this winter is to rapidly put more money into our increasingly crisis-ridden social care system. The NHS can also help itself by maximising the number of staff flu vaccinations and we welcome the plans to support this."