The funding forms part of NHSE's wider ambition to improve A&E waiting times and reduce long waits, while supporting local organisations to build on progress already made.

Kelly Mclellan, director of operations urgent and emergency care at the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘This extra investment is really welcome and gives us the chance to build on the progress we have already made in urgent and emergency care for our patients. We are already seeing shorter waiting times and this additional funding will help us go even further.

‘New approaches like same day emergency care centres, offering other alternatives for those who come to A&E and providing care closer to home are all ways we are helping ensure patients get to the right service at the right time.

‘We recognise there is more to do with our focus being to reduce waiting times even more to improve the overall experience of our patients.'

Sarah Brennan, chief operating officer at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘We're delighted to receive this investment, which will help us reduce delays, improve patient flow through our hospitals and ensure those in need of urgent and emergency care are treated quickly and safely in the right place, at the right time. It will help to strengthen the incredible progress already being made through our BetterLives programme – helping to bridge the gap between hospital and home - and transform care while improving the experience of residents across the Wigan Borough.'

The latest awards build on NHSE's wider incentive programme. In 2025, the North West secured £25m in capital funding as part of a national £150m package designed to reward performance and improvement across emergency care.