The NHS needs to be put on a better footing to deal with future storms, the Health Secretary is expected to say.

Steve Barclay will tell the NHS Providers conference in Liverpool the health service is about to experience a tough winter.

He will say: “We face the twin threats of Covid and flu, external pressures around energy and cost of living, and we enter the colder months without the breathing space that we might have usually had due to Covid pressures over the summer.

“So there is a huge amount to do to steer health and care through this storm and, crucially, make the changes that will better prepare us for the storms to come.”

Mr Barclay will talk about his current pledges, including more staff for NHS 111 and 999 call handling.

The NHS is also committed to a recovery plan after Covid-19, focused on cutting the NHS waiting list which currently stands at 7.1 million people.

Mr Barclay will also talk about the need to tackle the issue of delayed hospital discharges, with beds currently taken up with people who are medically fit to leave.

He is also expected to talk about improving access to GPs and focusing “on the areas that matter most to the patient experience”.

This includes reducing variation in patient access and waiting times across the country.

The NHS Providers conference will also hear from NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard, who will set out plans to diagnose people with cancer earlier.