NHS Urgent and Emergency Care Plan 2025/26 Summary

At THC Primary Care, we provide resources for primary care Network leaders. This blog summarises the NHS Urgent and Emergency Care Plan 2025/26 released in June.

Overview

The NHS Urgent and Emergency Care Plan 2025/26 outlines the approach for transforming urgent and emergency care services for the upcoming winter. The 22-page document outlines how the NHS will improve performance across the urgent care pathway, from prevention through to discharge.

Here are the highlights.

Let's jump in for more details.

The Vision For The NHS Urgent and Emergency Care Plan 2025/26

The plan establishes three core aims:

• Move care from hospitals to communities

• Focus on prevention over treatment

• Transform patient experience this winter

Seven Key Priorities

The document identifies seven priorities for winter 2025/26:

1. Ambulance Response: Reduce Category 2 response times from 35 to 30 minutes (14% improvement)

2. Handover Times: Achieve a maximum 45-minute ambulance handover, freeing 550,000 more ambulances

3. A&E Performance: See 78% of patients within 4 hours (up from 75%), helping 800,000 more people annually

4. Long Waits: Reduce 12+ hour waits to below 10% occurrence

5. Mental Health: Reduce 24+ hour emergency department waits for mental health admissions

6. Discharge Delays: Address patients waiting 21+ days after discharge-ready date, saving 500,000 bed days

7. Children's Care: Increase the number of children seen within 4 hours

Primary Care in the Document

Primary care appears in several sections of the plan:

Direct Requirements

• Increase vaccination rates by working with public health directors

• Target clinical risk groups for vaccinations

• Work with hospitals to identify vulnerable patients for proactive care

• Collaborate with ICBs to improve access and prevent avoidable admissions

• Support improved 111 referral processes to primary care

System Context

Within the broader system transformation, primary care is identified as a key partner in:

• Preventing avoidable hospital admissions through early intervention

• Supporting timely patient discharge back to community settings

• Coordinating proactive care for vulnerable and high-risk patients

Key System Changes

The plan includes several major system developments:

Infrastructure Investment (£370 million total)

• £250 million for 40 new same-day emergency care centres and urgent treatment centres

• £26 million for mental health crisis assessment centres

• £75 million for additional mental health inpatient capacity

• £20 million for Connected Care Records expansion

  
  

Service Innovations

• Call Before Convey: Paramedics consulting with clinicians before hospital transport

• Connected Care Records: Allowing all providers to access patient information

• Enhanced 111 Service: Improved triage and referral pathways

• Expanded Community Services: Including urgent community response and virtual wards

Actions by System Component

The document assigns specific responsibilities to different parts of the system:

Acute Trusts

• Implement a 15-minute handover improvement trajectory

• Achieve the Release to Rescue standard

• Set pathway discharge targets

• Expand same-day emergency care access

  
  

Ambulance Services

• Implement call before convey

• Expand the see and treat rates

• Increase clinical triage of 999 calls

• Provide overnight urgent care options

  
  

ICBs

• Develop system winter plans by summer 2025

• Create Better Care Fund capacity plans

• Develop childhood vaccination improvement plans

• Commission local advice and guidance tools

  
  

Mental Health Trusts

• Reduce out-of-area placements

• Decrease re-admissions for high-intensity users

• Minimise 24+ hour waits

• Implement rapid discharge processes

Timeline

Key dates include:

• End of June 2025 (Q1): ICBs to develop childhood vaccination plans

• Summer 2025: System winter plans to be signed off

• October 2025: Launch of "flu walk-in finder"

• Winter 2025/26: Full implementation

  
  

Data and Digital Developments

The plan emphasises digital transformation:

• NHS Federated Data Platform rollout to 85% of acute trusts by March 2026

• Connected Care Records for all ambulance trusts by the end of 2025/26

• Real-time data tools for demand management

• Enhanced forecasting capabilities

  
  

Implications for Primary Care Networks

While primary care is not the central focus of the document, PCN leaders should be aware of:

• The system-wide transformation that will affect patient flows

• New services that may provide referral alternatives

• Digital developments that will enhance information sharing

• Local ICB interpretation of national priorities

Summary

The NHS Urgent and Emergency Care Plan 2025/26 primarily focuses on hospital, ambulance, and system-level transformations. Primary care is positioned as an important partner in the system, with specific but limited direct requirements.

The plan's success relies on whole-system working, with significant investment in infrastructure and digital capabilities to support improved patient flow and outcomes.

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