From the latest Primary Care Bulletin – NHS England has published a letter setting out the national approach to winter 2026/27 and the actions every part of the NHS and local government needs to take.
Core expectations of the winter plan include draft winter plans completed by the end of August and plans tested at the NHS England regional stress test exercises in September.
ICBs are responsible for the winter plan for their area, which must be built on a whole-area demand and capacity analysis with robust planning assumptions, tested against surge and extreme surge scenarios. That means sufficient commissioned capacity across the system and covers:
- primary care: same day urgent appointments, enhanced access, NHS 111 direct booking, community pharmacy and out-of-hours provision including during holidays and over Christmas, alongside delivery of the seasonal vaccination campaigns
For further information please follow the link below:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/winter-planning-2026-27-expectations-and-assurance/
