NHS faces more challenging winter than normal, health secretary warns

Health Secretary Yvette Cooper warned that the NHS faces a tougher-than-usual winter after multiple heatwaves contributed to a record-breaking summer for A&E attendances in England. The government announced £140m for 14 urgent-care projects, including new centres, ambulance fleets and emergency department upgrades. The Royal College of Nursing called the funding another sticking plaster for a system at breaking point, while the King’s Fund warned of a twin crisis heading into winter. At the end of August, 7.37 million hospital treatments were waiting to be carried out, involving 6.24 million patients.