NHS Confederation welcomes ‘stress test’ plans to ease the strain on the NHS

Responding to the news from NHS England that the NHS is running ‘stress test’ exercises and providing targeted care for vulnerable patients ahead of winter, Rory Deighton, director of acute and community care at the NHS Confederation, said:

“The latest performance data shows just how hard NHS leaders and their teams are working to keep services running, yet as demand continues to grow the spectre of another very difficult winter ahead looms large.

“With an ageing population and more people living longer but often with multiple comorbidities, providing high quality care and increasing vaccination uptake will be vital to easing the strain on the NHS.

“While we welcome plans to support leaders to test their winter plans, health service leaders are also acutely aware that pressures across the system would only be worsened by the prospect of renewed industrial action.

“For the NHS to drive down waiting lists and meet the government’s rightly ambitious elective targets, private capital investment to repair crumbling estates and build new infrastructure is also desperately needed.”