Thousands of patients with conditions such as heart disease and frailty will receive greater support from their GP this winter under a government initiative aimed at reducing hospital admissions. Backed by £40 million redirected from existing GP budgets for the financial year running to April 2027, the programme will enable GP surgeries to identify and provide additional care to patients considered most vulnerable to becoming seriously ill during the winter months.
Support for up to 300,000 patients
The enhanced support will be directed towards patients with heart disease, frailty, and respiratory conditions such as emphysema and other forms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Medication reviews, health checks and nurse-led respiratory clinics are among the services that will be made available to up to 300,000 people. GP practice groups will receive £126 for each eligible patient they support.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham acknowledged he was "not going to pretend this winter will be easy", but insisted the programme would help people remain well at home and prevent unnecessary hospital visits. Mr Burnham said: "If we want to take the pressure off our hospitals this winter, we've got to keep people well at home. So we're backing GPs to reach the most vulnerable people early, before a small problem turns into a trip to A&E."
Government and opposition responses
Health Secretary Yvette Cooper stated that the initiative would deliver greater support for the most vulnerable patients within the community. "After such a heavy summer for our NHS as a result of the heat, everyone is working together to prepare for more challenging winter pressures," said Ms Cooper. "That includes the roll out of flu vaccinations, investing in extra urgent care capacity and strengthening partnerships with social care. With thousands more GPs in post and millions more GP appointments this year, the £40 million programme to support vulnerable patients in the community is part of our plan to help patients, improve primary care and also to support our NHS through the heavier winter months."
A representative for the Royal College of Nursing welcomed the initiative but cautioned that it must mark the start of "long-term investment in the general practice nursing workforce". "As winter fast approaches, measures to keep patients out of hospital can't come a moment too soon," the spokesperson said. "This investment will rely on the whole general practice workforce to be a success, and it's vital that nursing is at the heart of planning and decision making in all elements of primary care."
Reactions from opposition parties
Shadow health secretary Damien Hinds said the Conservatives welcomed the Government's plans, adding: "GPs are the backbone of the NHS in our local communities, working incredibly hard to deliver for their patients. Under the last Conservative government, 50 million more GP appointments a year were delivered compared to 2019, and thousands more GPs were recruited in England to help make it easier for patients to see their doctor."
Helen Morgan, the Liberal Democrat health spokesperson, said: "Of course keeping frail and vulnerable people well at home is the right thing to do. But this is a sticking plaster, paid for by raiding GP budgets that are already stretched to breaking point. Moving money around within general practice won't conjure up the extra appointments patients desperately need. Too many people still can't get through to their GP at all, and frail older people are languishing in hospital beds because the care they need to go home simply isn't there." She added that to tackle the A&E crisis this winter, a plan is needed to fix social care and give everyone the right to see a GP within seven days.
