Family doctors across England will reach out to 300,000 people with frailty and long-term conditions as part of a £40m winter support drive designed to reduce hospital admissions. The programme, funded by money moved from existing GP budgets for 2026-27, will let groups of practices identify and assist patients they consider most likely to become seriously unwell over the colder months.
Under the plan, participating practices can draw on £126 for each eligible patient they support. The care on offer includes health checks, reviews of medication and respiratory tests, with the aim of preventing avoidable stays in hospital.
Targeting frailty and lung disease
The prime minister said the effort would focus on people with heart disease, frailty and lung conditions such as emphysema and other forms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Andy Burnham, speaking about the scheme, said he would not claim the coming winter would be easy, but argued the programme would help patients stay well at home and avoid unnecessary hospital trips.
He said that easing pressure on hospitals depended on keeping people well at home, and that GPs were being backed to reach the most vulnerable early – before a minor problem becomes an A&E visit. Burnham added that patients deserve the right care in the right place, and that NHS staff deserve the right tools to deliver it. He pointed to new technology, hospital upgrades and more care available closer to home as part of the wider effort to ensure the NHS is there for everyone when needed.
Cooper: preparing for winter pressures
Health secretary Yvette Cooper said the scheme had been designed to give greater support to the frailest patients. She noted that the NHS had faced a heavy summer because of the heat, and that preparations for winter pressures were under way across the system. Those preparations include rolling out flu vaccinations, investing in extra urgent care capacity and strengthening partnerships with social care.
Cooper also said thousands more GPs were now in post and millions more GP appointments had been delivered this year. She described the £40m programme as part of a plan to help patients, improve primary care and support the NHS through the heavier winter months.
GPs welcome prevention focus but warn on short-term fixes
Prof Victoria Tzortziou Brown, president of the Royal College of GPs, welcomed the emphasis on prevention and on supporting patients at greatest risk of avoidable hospital admission this winter. She said GPs’ clinical expertise, their knowledge of individual patients and continuity of care were central to identifying those most in need and providing personalised, coordinated support.
However, she cautioned that short-term initiatives alone could not deliver sustained improvements in care for patients with complex health needs. A longer-term approach to prevention was needed, she said, backed by sustainable investment in general practice.
