New health secretary Victoria Atkins says planning for winter “started much earlier” this year.
The NHS is doing “everything” it can to avoid a winter crisis in the health service, the health secretary has said.
There are signs the NHS could face extra pressure this winter with record waiting lists and warnings about fewer extra beds..
Speaking to the BBC, Victoria Atkins said avoiding a crisis was her “number one priority this winter”.
Planning for winter “started much earlier than usual”, creating an extra 5,000 beds, she added.
Speaking on BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Ms Atkins said: “The NHS has been working very hard to prepare for this winter.”
The waiting list for planned NHS treatment in England rose to a record high of 7.77 million in September.
Ms Atkins blamed industrial action over for adding to delays. She said strikes by doctors and nurses had led to “1.1 million appointments having to be rescheduled”.