Yesterday (Monday 9th December), a meeting between health and social care secretary Wes Streeting and NHS England leaders saw Mr Streeting emphasise that he does not want to see NHS trusts prioritising patients who can be seen and discharged more quickly over those with the greatest clinical need.

Instead, he wants to focus on improving emergency ambulance times, addressing handover delays and tackling the longest waits in A&E — putting patients ahead of targets.

This follows the latest data that shows that the NHS is going into winter under more strain than ever before, with record numbers of people in hospital and over four times more flu admissions at the end of November compared to the same time last year.

Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting said: “We inherited a broken NHS that saw annual winter crisis as the norm. This year, we’re seeing record pressures on services as we move into December.

“This winter I want to see patient safety prioritised as we brace ourselves for the coming months. I’m asking trusts to focus on ambulance delays, handovers and the lowest A&E waits.

“We’ve already taken immediate action to keep patients safe by ending strikes — meaning this is the first winter in three years without staff on the picket line.

“The government’s Plan for change sets out our work to bring down waiting lists, alongside the 10 Year Health Plan that will deliver fundamental reform to build an NHS that is there for us all year round.

“And I’d appeal to all eligible people to join the 27 million who have already protected themselves and the NHS, and get vaccinated.”

In line with the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change, which includes tackling long waiting lists in healthcare settings, Mr Streeting’s ask to the NHS falls in line with their wider government strategy.

Amanda Pritchard, NHS chief executive, said: “The NHS is already seeing unprecedented demand going into winter, with flu cases quadrupling, thousands more ambulance callouts and rising pressures causing unacceptable waits for patients.

“While staff have worked hard to prepare — including expanding virtual wards so more patients can receive hospital-style care at home and delivering over 27 million vaccinations since September — we know services are set to come under even more strain.

“Patient safety must be paramount, and speaking to local leaders today, the message was clear: we need every part of the NHS, and social care partners, working together to manage demand and ensure patients with the most urgent needs are prioritised.

“As always, the public have an important part to play in helping NHS staff over winter, by calling 999 and using A&E in an emergency only, while using NHS 111 to access the right support for urgent health needs.”

Vaccinations are an important component in keeping people out of hospital and relieving pressure off of services during winter. So far, more than 27 million people have come forward for flu, Covid, or RSV winter vaccinations.

The NHS has also already implemented several measures to counter expected winter pressure including monitoring hospitals to be able to target additional pressures as they arrive, expanding same-day emergency care services, and increasing the number of virtual wards to allow patients to receive hospital-level care from the comfort of their own homes.