The UK government has set out a £40 million programme to help GP practices give extra support to up to 300,000 vulnerable patients this winter, aiming to prevent serious illness and avoidable hospital admissions. The plan was announced on 9 November 2026 by the Prime Minister and the Health and Social Care Secretary.

Under the ring-fenced funding, primary care networks can receive £126 for each eligible patient supported. The extra care is particularly targeted at people with heart disease, frailty, emphysema and other types of COPD, and could include medication reviews, health checks and nurse-led respiratory clinics.

The funding sits alongside wider winter preparations, including flu vaccination, additional urgent care capacity and investment in ambulances and scanners. NHS England said more than 13.6 million people in England had received their flu vaccine by 1 November 2026, while more than 2,800 additional GPs are in post compared with July 2024. GP leaders welcomed the focus on prevention, with the Royal College of GPs saying short-term initiatives alone cannot deliver sustained improvements and hoping an evaluation will inform a longer-term approach.