On Monday, NHS England, in partnership with DHSC, published a delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care (UEC) services.

The plan illustrates long-term pressures, such as an ageing population, and the current pressures faced by UEC, including continuing Covid-19 impacts and high bed occupancy. Notably, the plan identifies increased patient complexity and difficulties with discharge as the main drivers of high bed occupancy, ahead of increased demand.

The plan sets out five areas of focus for delivering the plan:

  • Increasing UEC capacity
  • Increasing workforce size and flexibility
  • Improving discharge
  • Expanding care outside the hospital
  • Making it easier to access the right care

We’ve summarised the plan in a factsheet below.

Click here to read the full plan.