People across the South East are benefiting from faster access to lifesaving tests and scans as the NHS continues to expand its network of Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs).   The region now has the highest number of CDCs per head of population in the country, with 31 CDCs open across the South East. A growing number are open 12 hours […]

Patients across the South East will benefit from a significant expansion of urgent and emergency care services in 2026, as NHS organisations across the region open new Urgent Treatment Centres (UTCs) and increase Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) capacity.   These developments form part of a national programme and investment to strengthen urgent care, improve patient flow and ensure people are treated […]

The NHS in the South East is today launching its Spring COVID‑19 vaccination programme, with eligible people now able to book appointments through the National Booking Service or by calling 119. The vaccine offers vital protection to those at highest risk of serious illness from COVID‑19. This year’s programme follows the Government’s acceptance of Joint […]

People across the South East are being urged to use NHS 111 online as their first port of call for non-emergency medical advice over the Easter bank holiday weekend (3–6 April). With health services expected to be busy over the long weekend, and resident doctors due to start industrial action for six days from 7am […]

Hundreds of thousands of older people across the South East can now get protected against a serious lung infection, as the NHS expands its Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccination programme. An estimated 530,000 adults aged 80 and over, as well as all residents in care homes for older adults, in the South East are now […]

NHS England South East has successfully procured a new, regionwide automated cataract care pathway, jointly funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England South East region. The platform will modernise and standardise the cataract pathway, making the patient journey simpler and faster, while maintaining strong clinical oversight and patient safety. Anne Eden South East Regional Director NHS England, said: “This is a major […]

NHSE South East announces the appointment of Professor Sir Jonathan Montgomery as NHS England South East Regional Chair, following an open and competitive appointment process. Sir Jonathan joins us from Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust where he has been Chair since April 2019. As set out in the Model Region Blueprint, as Regional Chair Sir […]

Urgent Community Response (UCR) teams across the South East are helping more people receive rapid care at home, preventing unnecessary hospital admissions and easing pressure on busy emergency departments and ambulance services.  Figures show that in December 2025, UCR teams in the South East reached 86% of people referred to them within the national two‑hour standard — above the national average of 84% and […]

Nearly 1 in 5 of people in the South East have missed an NHS appointment because they forgot or arrived too late, according to a new survey.  The findings come as the NHS  launches a new campaign urging people to turn on ‘push alerts’ from the NHS App so they get reminders about appointments and can rearrange any they can’t make, helping to free up millions of appointments […]

Thousands of patients at risk of osteoporosis and other bone conditions will benefit from faster access to vital bone scans, as new DEXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) scanners are rolled out across the South East of England. The new machines at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust (PHU) and Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust will help diagnose fragile bones earlier and prevent painful, lifechanging fractures — particularly […]