Hundreds of thousands of vulnerable patients in England are to receive extra support from their GP as part of a £40m drive aimed at keeping them out of hospital this winter.

As the NHS gears up for the pressures of the coming months, family doctors will offer 300,000 people with frailty and long-term conditions health checks, medication reviews and respiratory tests designed to prevent avoidable hospital admissions.

Funded by cash reallocated from existing GP budgets for 2026-27, the scheme will allow surgeries to identify and provide extra care to the patients they believe are most at risk of becoming seriously unwell in the winter. Groups of GP practices can use £126 for every eligible patient supported.

The prime minister said the scheme would be targeted at patients with heart disease, frailty and lung conditions such as emphysema and other types of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Andy Burnham said he was “not going to pretend this winter will be easy” but the programme would help keep people well at home and avoid unnecessary trips to hospital.

“If we want to take the pressure off our hospitals this winter, we’ve got to keep people well at home. So we’re backing GPs to reach the most vulnerable people early, before a small problem turns into a trip to A&E,” he said.

“People deserve the right care in the right place. And our NHS staff, who work so hard, deserve the right tools to provide it. I’m not going to pretend this winter will be easy. But with new technology, upgrades for hospitals and more care available closer to home, we’ll make sure the NHS is there for everyone when they need it.”

The health secretary, Yvette Cooper, said the scheme had been designed to offer greater support to the frailest patients.

“After such a heavy summer for our NHS as a result of the heat, everyone is working together to prepare for more challenging winter pressures,” she said. “That includes the rollout of flu vaccinations, investing in extra urgent care capacity and strengthening partnerships with social care.

“With thousands more GPs in post and millions more GP appointments this year, the £40m programme to support vulnerable patients in the community is part of our plan to help patients, improve primary care and also to support our NHS through the heavier winter months.”

Prof Victoria Tzortziou Brown, the president of the Royal College of GPs, said she welcomed the focus on prevention and supporting patients at greatest risk of avoidable hospital admission this winter.

“GPs’ clinical expertise, knowledge of their patients and continuity of care are central to identifying those most in need and providing personalised, coordinated support,” she said.

But she also said short-term initiatives alone could not deliver “sustained improvements in care” that patients with complex health needs required. Instead, she said, a longer-term approach to prevention was necessary, which must be backed by “sustainable investment in general practice”.