- NHS England is conducting "war game" exercises throughout September to prepare for an anticipated "pressured winter" with record demand for A&E and ambulance services projected for 2025.
- The preparations aim to address traditional winter challenges such as surges in Covid-19, flu, and other respiratory illnesses, which have previously led to extensive A&E waiting times and corridor care.
- Local health teams are rigorously testing plans for staffing shortages, rapid demand increases, and virus outbreaks, while also tackling delayed patient discharges.
- Special attention is being given to vulnerable patients, with new vaccination campaigns for flu and other jabs, and easier access to "rescue medicine" like Tamiflu for high-risk individuals.
- While NHS leaders highlight the preparations and the public's role in vaccination, emergency care doctors are calling for the publication of stress test results to ensure their effectiveness.
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