Preparations for winter are led locally by integrated care boards (ICBs) working with acute trusts, primary care, community services, mental health providers, local authorities and social care partners. On 17 July, NHS England wrote out to the system with the annual winter planning 2026/27 letter, which sets out expectations and assurance mechanisms for winter, including key actions for all local areas to take.

Local areas, including trust and ICB leadership, are developing robust plans to manage demand and capacity and respond to periods of increased pressure. They are also being asked to provide a named executive winter lead and will stress test plans at the September regional stress test exercise.

This builds on progress made last winter, when more patients were treated within four hours, fewer patients waited over 12 hours in accident and emergency departments and Category 2 ambulance response times improved, despite increased demand.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 16 July 2026 in response to Question 17199.

NHS England's design and performance specification for neighbourhood health centres (NHCs) is clear that NHCs will be designed to be resilient to the impacts of climate change, including flooding and overheating. The specification states that centres should assess and mitigate flood risk and address overheating through appropriate building design and, where necessary, cooling measures to support safe care delivery. The specification is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/neighbourhood-health-centres-design-and-performance-specification/

Modern service frameworks will define an aspirational, long-term outcome goal for a major condition and will then identify the best evidenced interventions and the support for delivery. Early priorities will include cardiovascular disease, severe mental illness, and the first ever service framework for frailty and dementia.

The Government will consider other long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks, including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future modern service frameworks will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. There has not, therefore, been a specific assessment made in relation to winter pressures.

NHS England, working with the Department, the UK Health Security Agency, and other partners, took action to reduce the impact of respiratory conditions on the National Health Service during the winter of 2025/26. Further details of the actions taken to reduce demand on acute services during winter is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/urgent-and-emergency-care-plan-2025-26/

The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme. There has not, therefore, been a specific assessment made in relation to winter pressures.

The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme. There has not, therefore, been a specific assessment made in relation to winter pressures.

The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme. There has not, therefore, been a specific assessment made in relation to winter pressures.

NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care are working with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to explore innovation and policy prioritisation in respiratory health, including the cross‑Government alignment that may be required.

The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme. There has not, therefore, been a specific assessment made in relation to winter pressures.

Data is available for emergency Finished Admission Episodes (FAEs) where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’. The following table shows the number the number of FAEs where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’ for Surrey Heath and England, for activity in English National Health Service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector, for 2024/25 and provisionally for 2025/26:

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England.

Available data on trends in respiratory conditions can be found on the Department’s fingertips dataset. Data is not available by parliamentary constituency. Data is available at regional, county, unitary authority, and integrated care board level. Information for Surrey can be found at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/Respiratory#page/1/gid/1/pat/15/ati/502/are/E10000030/iid/40701/age/163/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1

Modern service frameworks will define an aspirational, long-term outcome goal for a major condition and then identify the best evidenced interventions and the support for delivery. Early priorities will include cardiovascular disease, severe mental illness, and the first ever service framework for frailty and dementia.

The Government will consider other long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks, including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future modern service frameworks will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. There has not, therefore, been a specific assessment made in relation to winter pressures.

NHS England, working with the Department, the UK Health Security Agency, and other partners, is taking action to reduce the impact of respiratory conditions on the National Health Service this winter. Further details of the actions being taken to reduce demand on acute services during winter is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/urgent-and-emergency-care-plan-2025-26/

The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme. There has not, therefore, been a specific assessment made in relation to winter pressures.

NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care are working with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to explore innovation and policy prioritisation in respiratory health, including the cross‑Government alignment that may be required.

Data is available for emergency Finished Admission Episodes (FAEs) where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’. The following table shows the number of emergency FAEs where there was a primary diagnosis of respiratory conditions, for activity in English National Health Service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector, for Mid Harrow and England, for 2024/25 and 2025/26:

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England.

Available data on trends in respiratory conditions can be found on the Department’s Fingertips dataset. Data is not available by parliamentary constituency. Data is available at regional, county, unitary authority, and integrated care board level. Information for the London Borough of Harrow can be found at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/respiratory#page/1/gid/1/pat/15/ati/502/are/E09000015/iid/40701/age/163/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1

NHS England, working with the Department, the UK Health Security Agency, and other partners, is taking action to reduce the impact of respiratory conditions on the NHS this winter. Further details of the actions being taken to reduce demand on acute services during winter is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/urgent-and-emergency-care-plan-2025-26/

The 500 new ambulances announced in the Department’s press release of 31 December 2025 form part of East of England Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust’s wider ambulance replacement and expansion programme.

Allocations have not been finalised at individual county level, meaning it is not possible at this stage to confirm how many of these vehicles will be deployed in Essex.

The Government is clear that patients should expect and receive high quality care throughout the year, including during peak winter demand.

We started earlier and have done more than ever to prepare for winter this year. We continue to monitor the impact of winter pressures on the National Health Service over the winter months, providing additional support to services across the country as needed.

Decisions about workforce planning, including recruitment and vacancy management, are a matter for individual NHS employers who are best placed to assess local staffing needs and deploy staff flexibly to maintain safe and effective services. NHS England works closely with systems, including in West Sussex, to support local workforce resilience during the winter period.

Our immediate focus is on ensuring the resources already available are used as effectively as possible, with funding directed to frontline care, additional capacity, and improving patient flow. The funding settlement for this year included specific allocations for winter resilience and urgent and emergency care, which are being targeted where they will have the greatest impact.

We will continue to keep the situation under close review with NHS England and if further support is required to maintain patient safety and operational resilience, those discussions will take place in the usual way.

The Department works closely with the UK Health Security Agency, the Met Office, and local health and care parters to respond to Cold Health Alerts, which are issued when cold weather is forecast to pose a risk to health. Alerts are issued between 1 November and 31 March each year and are colour coded based on the likelihood and severity of health impacts. When alerts are issued, local areas, including Surrey and Surrey Health, are expected to take proportionate action to protect vulnerable people.

We started planning earlier and have taken more action than in previous years to prepare for winter pressures, and to mitigate cold-weather health impacts on vulnerable people nationally. This includes actions by health and care partners in Surrey and Surrey Heath. Our focus is on maintaining patient safety and timely access to urgent and emergency care throughout the colder months.

Flu remains a major seasonal challenge, particularly for older people, young children, pregnant women, and those with underlying conditions. Vaccination continues to be the most effective way to prevent severe illness and hospitalisation among vulnerable groups.

Ministers and officials from the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero engage regularly on policy issues of interest to both departments. We will continue working together to ensure that cold-related health impacts are considered when implementing the Fuel Poverty Strategy for England and the Warm Homes Plan, and that more health-vulnerable households get the help they need to improve their homes.

We have started earlier and done more than ever to prepare for winter this year. We continue to monitor the impact of winter pressures on the National Health Service over the winter months, providing additional support to services across the country as needed.

The Department is continuing to take key steps to ensure the health service is prepared throughout the colder months. This includes taking actions to try and reduce demand pressure on accident and emergency departments, increasing vaccination rates, and offering health checks to the most vulnerable, as well as stress-testing integrated care board and trust winter plans to ensure they are able to meet demand and ensure patient flow.

Flu is a recurring pressure that the NHS faces every winter. There is particular risk of severe illness for older people, the very young, pregnant people, and those with certain underlying health conditions. The flu vaccine remains the best form of defense against influenza, particularly for the most vulnerable, and continues to be highly effective at preventing severe disease and hospitalisation.  This year we have:

• expanded the use of the National Booking Service for flu vaccination;
• carried out a major campaign aimed at eligible people, encouraging them to take up their vaccinations; and
• developed the “flu walk-in finder” so that, from October 2025, patients can easily look up when they can walk into a community pharmacy to get a vaccination.

We have started earlier and done more than ever to prepare for winter this year. We continue to monitor the impact of winter pressures on the National Health Service over the winter months, providing additional support to services across the country as needed.

The Department is continuing to take key steps to ensure the health service is prepared throughout the colder months. This includes taking actions to try and reduce demand pressure on accident and emergency departments, increasing vaccination rates, and offering health checks to the most vulnerable, as well as stress-testing integrated care board and trust winter plans to ensure they are able to meet demand and ensure patient flow.

Flu is a recurring pressure that the NHS faces every winter. There is particular risk of severe illness for older people, the very young, pregnant people, and those with certain underlying health conditions. The flu vaccine remains the best form of defense against influenza, particularly for the most vulnerable, and continues to be highly effective at preventing severe disease and hospitalisation.  This year we have:

• expanded the use of the National Booking Service for flu vaccination;
• carried out a major campaign aimed at eligible people, encouraging them to take up their vaccinations; and
• developed the “flu walk-in finder” so that, from October 2025, patients can easily look up when they can walk into a community pharmacy to get a vaccination.

Decisions about recruitment and resourcing are a matter for individual National Health Service employers, who manage this at a local level to ensure they have the staff they need to deliver safe and effective care. We continue to monitor the impact of winter pressures on the NHS over the winter months, providing additional support as needed.

The Department is continuing to take key steps to ensure the health service is prepared throughout the colder months. This includes taking actions to try and reduce demand pressure on accident and emergency departments, increasing vaccination rates and offering health checks to the most vulnerable, as well as stress-testing integrated care board and trust winter plans to ensure they are able to meet demand and ensure patient flow.

The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.

We continue to monitor the impact of winter pressures on the National Health Service over the winter months.

The Department is continuing to take key steps to ensure the health service is prepared for the colder months. This includes taking actions to try and reduce demand pressure on accident and emergency departments, increasing vaccination rates, and offering health checks to the most vulnerable, as well as stress-testing integrated care boards and trust winter plans to ensure they are able to meet demand and ensure patient flow.

Flu is a recurring pressure that the NHS faces every winter. There is particular risk of severe illness for older people, the very young, pregnant people, and those with certain underlying health conditions. The flu vaccine remains the best form of defense against influenza, particularly for the most vulnerable, and continues to be highly effective at preventing severe disease and hospitalisation.

We continue to monitor the impact of winter pressures on the National Health Service over the winter months.

The Department is continuing to take key steps to ensure the health service is prepared for the colder months. This includes taking actions to try and reduce demand pressure on accident and emergency departments, increasing vaccination rates, and offering health checks to the most vulnerable, as well as stress-testing integrated care boards and trust winter plans to ensure they include a focus on reducing bed occupancy ahead of Christmas, creating additional capacity and improving patient flow.

We have done more than ever to prepare for this winter, including stress testing winter plans, making sure community teams have the vaccines they need, and identifying the patients who are most vulnerable in winter. We are asking trusts to place a special focus on reducing bed occupancy ahead of Christmas, creating additional capacity, and improving patient flow.

Flu is a recurring pressure that the National Health Service faces every winter. There is particular risk of severe illness for older people, the very young, pregnant, and those with certain underlying health conditions. The flu vaccine remains the best form of defense against influenza, particularly for the most vulnerable, and continues to be highly effective at preventing severe disease and hospitalisation. This year we have:

- expanded the use of the National Booking Service for flu vaccination;

- carried out a major campaign aimed at eligible people, encouraging them to take up their vaccinations; and

- developed the “flu walk-in finder” so that, from October 2025, patients can easily look up when they can walk into a community pharmacy to get a vaccination.