Health services need an emergency cash injection of up to £350m this winter, NHS leaders have warned.
NHS Providers says failing to make the investment will cause longer waiting times in A&E and other services and will put the safety of patients at risk.
It says recent improvements in performance are being outweighed by factors including NHS trusts not always benefitting from the extra £1bn of social care investment announced in the spring budget, continuing rise in demand for emergency care and staff shortages.
In a new report, it says the NHS is heading for a worse winter than last year, regarded as the worst in recent times.
It says the level of planning and support for this winter is 'considerably more developed' than last year and emergency care performance has been given greater priority.
But NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson said: 'The overwhelming view of NHS trusts is that without immediate extra funding they will not have sufficient capacity to manage this winter safely.
'This risk has been heightened because, in many areas, the £1 billion of extra support for social care announced in the Budget will not ease winter pressures on the NHS as the Government had planned.
'Patients will therefore be put at greater risk as local trusts won’t have the extra beds, staff and services they need to meet the extra demand they will face.
'The only way to mitigate these risks is through an urgent NHS cash injection to ensure the NHS has the necessary capacity this winter.'
NHS Providers' Saffron Cordery calls for unity between health and social care as the Government seeks to drive a wedge between the two sectors.
