The government acknowledges that the NHS will remain under intense pressure for at least two years, despite the recovery plan.

The government has acknowledged that the NHS will be under serious pressure for at least another two years as it today unveiled a £1bn plan to improve emergency care.

The promise of thousands of additional hospital beds and 800 new ambulances is at the heart of a proposal to “stabilize” healthcare after the worst winter crisis in history.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who along with NHS chief Amanda Pritchard and Health Secretary Steve Barclay will lay out the plan on Monday at an emergency room in the northeast, said “ambitious and credible” measures would help solve the problem, but acknowledged that it has come help time.

The two-year plan for England calls for 800 new ambulances, including 100 dedicated mental health vehicles, and 5,000 ‘stronger’ hospital beds supported by a £1 billion special fund. NHS England plans to move about 4,000 makeshift hospital beds from unusable locations to new units over the next year and open about 1,000 additional staffed beds. HSJ reported.

A key part of the strategy is expanding emergency care in the community, removing people from overcrowded hospitals and moving them through “virtual wards” for treatment.

The health ministry said over the weekend that 3,000 “hospital beds” would be made by next winter, in the hope that some 50,000 people could eventually receive home care each month. In virtual rooms, patients are treated from home under the supervision of healthcare professionals, either through daily visits or via video calls.

Another proposal is for every hospital with a large emergency department to open same-day emergency departments staffed by specialist doctors and nurses. Ministers hope this measure will help thousands of people avoid hospitalization every week.

In other countries, there are plans to try out new approaches to NHS care, with in some cases patients receiving rehabilitation and physical therapy at home.

Mr Sunak, who has made reducing NHS waiting times one of his top five priorities as prime minister, said: “Emergency and emergency care faces significant challenges, but we have an ambitious and robust plan to address them.

“It will take time to get there, but our plan will shorten long waits by increasing the number of ambulances, staff and beds, removing bottlenecks outside the emergency department, and ensuring that patients are seen and discharged quickly.”

“If we achieve this goal, it will be one of the fastest and longest improvements in emergency waiting times in the history of the NHS.”

Ministers want to ensure that by March, 76 percent of emergency patients receive treatment within four hours, while the arrival time of category 2 ambulances, such as suspected stroke, heart attack, burns and epilepsy, will average next year. 30 minutes.

The plan comes as the government is embroiled in a bitter and ongoing dispute with nurses and ambulance workers over wages and working conditions, with further strikes planned for February.

NHS chief Amanda Pritchard said: “The NHS is under more pressure than I have ever faced in my 25 years of service.

“The history of the NHS is one of change and innovation and while we strive to meet the needs of patients today, we are also looking to the future of the NHS and will soon map out our talent pool plan, which is a unique opportunity. a generational chance to put the NHS on a sustainable footing.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, called it “an important roadmap” but warned: “Success over the next two years will depend not only on whether NHS staff continue to do their best, but on concerted action to reduce.” . the number of people who need to make contact with emergency services and emergency services first.”