Last updated: Thursday 12 February
Inside the government’s winter preparations: how the NHS fared better than previous years
This winter has seen the NHS weather winter pressures more effectively than in recent years, supported by the earliest and most comprehensive preparation programme ever undertaken across the health system.
While significant challenges remain, early planning, expanded vaccination programmes and increased use of technology have strengthened resilience - despite record demand.
Below is an overview of how the government and NHS leaders prepared the health service ahead of winter.
An earlier start: summer planning and system-wide stress testing
Preparation began earlier than in any previous year - July 2025 – with Integrated Care Boards and NHS trusts asked to complete detailed winter readiness plans over the summer, identifying local risks and operational gaps well before peak pressures arrived.
These plans were then stress-tested across three phases - preparation, staying ahead and response - allowing systems to identify weaknesses and strengthen resilience before winter demand escalated.
A national winter summit in September, attended by the Secretary of State and health and care leaders from across England, marked the formal start of the coordinated winter response and gave systems the chance to escalate issues early.
The Secretary of State oversaw dozens of winter meetings, operational response sessions and visits throughout the period, helping to ensure winter resilience was prioritised across the NHS.
Modernising services to stay ahead of demand
The NHS accelerated a range of modernisation programmes designed to improve patient flow and reduce pressure on urgent and emergency care. These included:
- AI-enabled command centres providing real-time data on hospital pressures
- New digital triage systems to help patients access appropriate care more quickly
- Expanded virtual wards and remote monitoring technology, allowing more patients - particularly older people - to be treated safely at home rather than admitted to hospital
In primary care, more GP practices offered extended hours and almost all now provide online access routes. This contributed to a record eight million online requests in October - around two-thirds higher than the previous year.
Access to NHS 111 was also strengthened, including through the NHS App, helping patients navigate services and reducing unnecessary attendances.
Closer working between NHS teams, local authorities, emergency services and primary care improved coordination, particularly around hospital discharge and community-based care. Around half of ambulance services now have access to shared care records, improving clinical decision-making at the scene.
These changes helped reduce avoidable demand, increase capacity and ensure more patients were seen sooner.
Strengthened vaccination rollout and targeted public health messaging
Learning lessons from the previous flu season, this year’s vaccination campaign started earlier and focused on priority groups including pregnant women, young children and older adults. Key improvements included:
- Expansion of the National Booking Service
- Introduction of a new flu walk-in finder
- Improved data sharing between the Department for Education and NHS teams
- A new digital consent tool replacing paper processes in schools
More than 500,000 additional flu vaccinations have been delivered so far compared with last season. Uptake increased across most eligible groups, with particularly strong improvements among pregnant women and older adults.
Communications campaigns launched from early October supported the rollout, using real-time monitoring of public sentiment, search behaviour and misinformation trends to tailor messaging and maximise impact.
The government and NHS leaders are clear this is not a moment of complacency. However, early evidence suggests that earlier planning, targeted vaccination programmes, data-driven public health communications and continued modernisation have helped improve resilience compared with previous winters.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:
“This winter shows that when the NHS plans earlier, works together and uses data properly, it can cope better - even when demand is high.
“We didn’t wait for pressures to hit. We started preparing months in advance, stress-tested plans and backed frontline teams to solve problems before they became crises.
“We also did things differently: expanding GP access, rolling out vaccines earlier, harnessing technology, and helping more people stay well at home rather than in hospital.
“There is still a long road ahead, but fewer patients in hospital over Christmas and stronger staff resilience show that modernisation - not short-term sticking plasters - is how we protect patients and secure the NHS for the future.”
NHS National Medical Director Professor Meghana Pandit said:
“Our robust planning and preparation for winter is paying off, as NHS teams continue to manage high demand on services, faster.
“It is reassuring to see an improvement in ambulance handover times and fewer patients in hospital with flu than in previous years – in part thanks to staff delivering half a million more vaccinations than at the same point last year. NHS staff have worked hard to tackle winter head on by stress-testing plans, championing technology to improve patient flow and providing targeted care for vulnerable patients.
“Vaccinations remain the best protection available from seasonal viruses, so if you are eligible for your flu or RSV jabs please do come forward. You can also help prevent the spread of norovirus by frequent handwashing with soap and water and not returning to work, school or visiting hospitals until you are 48 hours symptom-free.”
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