Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure patients with minor ailments are directed to appropriate NHS services before they attend accident and emergency departments.

The Government is committed to continuing to improve National Health Services, including NHS 111 to ensure patients can access the right care first time, only visiting accident and emergency when necessary.

The Urgent and Emergency Care Plan is backed by a total of nearly £450 million of funding, including £250 million of capital investment for the continued expansion of co-located urgent treatment centres and same-day emergency care. This provides additional capacity for minor urgent health problems, ensuring that resources are targeted appropriately and that emergency care remains available for the most acutely unwell patients.

The plan also commits to reviewing NHS 111 services and incorporating the recommendations from the review, to make the service more effective, quicker and simpler to navigate.

We are also expanding urgent care in primary, community, and mental health settings, increasing vaccination uptake, and offering health checks to the most vulnerable. Integrated care boards and trust winter plans have been stress-tested to ensure resilience, reducing pressure on accident and emergency.