GPs Offer 300,000 Patients Winter Checks in £40m NHS Plan
Family doctors in England will give 300,000 frail and chronically ill patients extra checks this winter under a £40m scheme announced by Prime Minister Andy Burnham. The money is reallocated from existing GP budgets and aims to keep vulnerable people out of hospital.
GPs in England will offer 300,000 patients with frailty and long-term conditions extra health checks, medication reviews and respiratory tests this winter, under a £40m scheme announced by Prime Minister Andy Burnham. The aim is to prevent avoidable hospital admissions as the NHS prepares for the colder months.
The money comes from cash reallocated from existing GP budgets for 2026-27. Groups of GP practices can use £126 for every eligible patient they support.
Surgeries will pick the patients they believe are most at risk of becoming seriously unwell. Support will focus on people with heart disease, frailty and lung conditions such as emphysema and other forms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Nurse-led respiratory clinics are among the services on offer.
Burnham said he was "not going to pretend this winter will be easy". He said the scheme would help keep people well at home and avoid unnecessary hospital trips.
"If we want to take the pressure off our hospitals this winter, we've got to keep people well at home," he said. "So we're backing GPs to reach the most vulnerable people early, before a small problem turns into a trip to A&E."
Health Secretary Yvette Cooper said the scheme was designed to give greater support to the frailest patients. She pointed to a "heavy summer" for the NHS because of heatwaves.
Cooper said winter preparations also include flu vaccinations, extra urgent care capacity and stronger partnerships with social care. She said there were thousands more GPs in post and millions more GP appointments this year.
The announcement comes amid continuing concern about overcrowding in hospitals and patients being treated in corridors. Last month the Royal College of Physicians warned the government still had much to do to ensure "corridor care becomes a thing of the past".
Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown, president of the Royal College of GPs, welcomed the focus on prevention. She said GPs' knowledge of their patients and continuity of care were central to finding those most in need.
But she said short-term initiatives alone could not deliver "sustained improvements in care" for patients with complex needs. A longer-term approach to prevention was needed, she said, backed by "sustainable investment in general practice".
Ed Kennedy, director of the Institute of General Practice Management, also welcomed the move. He said practice teams were well placed to provide "proactive and personalised care" that reduces avoidable pressure on hospitals.
