Winter pressure letter from NHS England

Thank you for all you and your teams have done and continue to do for patients, families, local communities, and all those receiving care as we embrace another busy winter.

The past few winters have been difficult, and we expect this one to be similarly challenging. We understand that delivering care in a pressured environment can mean working in different ways and at times departing from established procedures to provide the best care possible for patients and people receiving care. This can be challenging, but it is vital that we have a whole system approach to risk across all urgent and emergency care (UEC) pathways to provide the best outcomes for our patients as well as maintaining elective activity where capacity allows.

This will require engagement and close collaboration with and between senior leaders to make the necessary changes to ways of working that support patient flow. We recognise there are pressures in all settings across the entire system and it will require action across primary, community and secondary care as well as mental health to help improve flow and reduce pressures on emergency departments. To achieve a balance in supporting UEC and elective flow, consideration will need to be given to surgical and Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) capacity and to how staff are able to support patients in the best way.

Please download letter in full.