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The government has announced £450m worth of investment to expand urgent and emergency care facilities, including almost 500 new ambulances across the country by March 2026.
Under the plans, patients will receive better, faster and more appropriate emergency care as the government sets out reforms to shorten A&E waiting times and tackle persistently failing trusts.
The new package of investment and reforms will improve patients’ experiences this year, including by caring for more patients in the community, rather than in hospital which is often worse for patients and more expensive for taxpayers.
In addition to the hundreds of new ambulances, the urgent and emergency care plan 2025 to 2026 will deliver:
- around 40 new same day emergency care and urgent treatment centres – which treat and discharge patients in the same day, avoiding unnecessary admissions to hospital
- up to 15 mental health crisis assessment centres to provide care in the right place for patients and avoid them waiting in A&E for hours for care, which is not the most appropriate setting for people who are experiencing a crisis. These centres will offer people timely access to specialist support and ensure they are directed to the right care
The plan’s emphasis will be on shifting more patient care into more appropriate care settings as part of the move from hospital to community under the government’s Plan for Change to rebuild the NHS, while tackling ambulance handover delays and corridor care.
“The new urgent and emergency care plan reaffirms AACE’s vision for the future of NHS ambulance services. By extending and formalising a wider ambulance sector remit in urgent and emergency care, we will be better placed to help resolve some of the key system pressures, reduce the risks for patients and transform patient care while offering a more positive working environment for our people.
“By underscoring the importance of a system-wide focus to achieve improvements in urgent and emergency care, this new plan acts as a genuine challenge to all health and social care leaders, encouraging them to plan and act with purpose to achieve the transformation that is needed. Ambulance service leaders continue to proactively seek increased opportunities for greater collaboration with system partners while identifying new strategies and initiatives within their own ambulance trusts to achieve the transformation targets outlined in the plan.
“We are particularly heartened to see the plan’s emphasis on the reduction and improved management of hospital handover delays. Handover delays have the greatest detrimental impact on ambulance resources and create unnecessary delays and additional harm for thousands of patients each year. The elimination of corridor care and the focus on reducing 12-hour waits at emergency departments is also welcomed.
Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) Managing Director, Anna Parry.
‘A fundamental shift towards collaboration’
The College of Paramedics has described the government’s plan as ‘a step in the right direction’ but ‘recognises that there will be many challenges to overcome before the full ambition of this plan can be realised’.
The college added that the new plan marks a fundamental shift towards collaboration across the whole healthcare system, with more patients receiving care in the community, rather than being unnecessarily admitted into hospital.
“We welcome the publication of the UEC plan, which speaks candidly about the impact that system-wide issues have had on both our workforce and the patients we serve. There is a clear recognition that things must change, and the timely release of this plan, ahead of the challenging months to come is commendable. We believe this is definitely a step in the right direction but recognise that there will be many challenges to overcome before the plan’s full potential can be realised.”
Chief Executive of the College of Paramedics, Tracy Nicholls OBE.
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