Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust has transformed the way non critical patients are assessed and treated through its Medical, Urgent and Frailty Same Day Emergency Care unit. The service now supports more than 750 people every week, providing rapid triage, diagnosis and treatment without the need for an overnight stay. Since launching in February 2025, patient time spent in A and E has fallen by up to 77 percent, with 90 to 95 percent of patients safely treated and discharged home on the same day. This approach has eased pressure on emergency departments, improved patient experience and helped the trust move from 73rd to second place nationally for emergency care performance, demonstrating how same day care can deliver faster, safer treatment during the busiest months of the year.

At Airedale’s UTC, co-located with the Emergency Department at Airedale Hospital and open seven days a week, patients with more minor injuries and illnesses are directed through a faster, dedicated pathway. Since its introduction, the centre has helped reduce pressure on the main A&E department by streaming suitable patients to a more focused environment. Staff aim to see all UTC arrivals within four hours and during busy periods patients with very minor injuries may be offered an appointment the following day, ensuring the most urgent cases stay prioritised.

Emergency teams at Diana Princess of Wales Hospital and Scunthorpe General Hospital created a new Clinical Decision Unit by converting two traditional bays into six chair spaces for patients who were almost certain to go home and did not require SDEC. This simple change freed space in the main emergency department, reduced overcrowding and improved ambulance handovers. In March 2025 alone, more than 500 patients were managed safely in the unit, helping the trust improve four hour performance from 66 percent to 71 percent despite rising attendances.

Humber Health Partnership, working with YAS and EMAS, took decisive action to tackle long ambulance handover delays that were putting patients in the community at risk. A step wise zero tolerance approach to handovers waiting more than 45 minutes was introduced, supported by rapid assessment, streamlined handover processes and close collaboration between crews, emergency teams and site management. The results were significant. Average handover times fell to 26 minutes at Hull hospitals and 37 minutes at the Northern Lincolnshire sites, and ambulance Category 2 response times in the community improved dramatically, helping protect patients who needed urgent care.

The North East Ambulance Service prepares for winter all year round by learning from the previous season and strengthening its plans with partners across the region. This includes running joint exercises, ensuring vehicles and stations are ready for severe weather, adjusting staffing and training schedules so more crews are available on peak days, and expanding alternative care pathways so not every patient needs to attend emergency departments. Alongside this operational planning, staff are supported with flu vaccination and welfare advice and the public is encouraged to use 111 online or by phone for urgent, non life threatening issues.

YAS has launched dedicated Mental Health Response Vehicles that respond to 111 and 999 calls flagged as relating to mental health needs, offering support in a less-clinical environment, staffed by personnel with enhanced training and mental-health expertise. These vehicles aim to see and treat or refer patients on scene where possible, minimising unnecessary conveyance to emergency departments, and working closely with local mental-health and voluntary-sector partners. Since rollout, the programme has recorded thousands of responses, with a significant portion of patients treated or referred without hospital transfer, and has been intentionally deployed in areas showing highest need and deprivation to reduce health inequalities.