GP practices in England are to offer extra support to 300,000 vulnerable patients under a £40-million programme aimed at preventing avoidable hospital admissions this winter, The Guardian reports.

The scheme will provide health checks, medication reviews and respiratory tests for people with frailty and long-term conditions, according to reporting by Andrew Gregory. Practices will identify patients they consider most at risk of becoming seriously unwell and offer additional care intended to help them remain well at home.

The programme will target people with conditions including heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which includes emphysema.

The funding is being reallocated from existing GP budgets for 2026–27, rather than provided as an entirely new allocation. Groups of GP practices can use £126 for each eligible patient they support.

Prof. Victoria Tzortziou Brown, president of the Royal College of GPs, welcomed the emphasis on prevention and helping patients at greatest risk of an avoidable hospital admission. She said GPs’ clinical expertise, knowledge of their patients and continuity of care were central to identifying those who need support.

But she cautioned that short-term programmes alone could not deliver the sustained improvements needed by patients with complex health needs. A longer-term approach to prevention must be backed by sustainable investment in general practice, she said.

Sources