The NHS is conducting “war game” exercises to test its readiness for winter, NHS England has said. Winter typically brings a rise in Covid, flu and other respiratory illnesses. Recent winters have seen long A&E waits, corridor care and ambulances queueing outside hospitals. Officials say 2025 is on track to be the busiest on record for A&Es and ambulance services. Preparations are being stepped up through September, with local leaders testing the robustness of their plans via scenario exercises covering staffing shortages, sharp rises in demand and multiple virus outbreaks. Local health teams are also addressing delayed discharges so capacity can surge at times of peak demand. Plans target the most vulnerable and include vaccination campaigns to boost uptake, as well as easier access to rescue medicines such as Tamiflu.

Sir Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS England, said that despite record demand this year NHS teams have worked to improve waiting times, with last month’s Category 2 ambulance response times the fastest for four years, but the coming colder months will be more challenging. He added that the NHS has done more preparation for winter than ever before and is determined for this year to be better. Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said winter is always tough and that the government is ramping up preparations, including the exercises and extra checks for the most vulnerable, to keep the service ready. He urged the public to get vaccinated to reduce pressure on staff and maintain care when it is needed most.

Leading emergency care doctors have called for the results of the stress tests to be published so their effectiveness can be assessed. Royal College of Emergency Medicine president Dr Ian Higginson said it will be important to see what the tests measure and whether they will improve care, and that results should be published so actions can be taken. He warned that without concrete actions, ill and vulnerable people could be left on trolleys in corridors as winter approaches.