Winter 2025 was one of the toughest for Western Australia’s health system, with more severe influenza (flu) like illnesses and high demand across hospitals and community services. In 2025, there were almost 1.2 million emergency department visits and 700,000 public hospital admissions.

Learning from this experience, this strategy sets out how WA Health is preparing for higher demand on health services during winter. It explains what WA health is doing to make sure people can get the care they need, when they need it, in the safest and most appropriate setting. 

Focus areas

• Prevention: helping people stay well through vaccination and clear health information, reducing the need for hospital care.
• Patient flow: improving how patients move through the health system so they receive care quickly and safely. 
• Bed capacity: increasing capacity by investing in new beds, virtual care, innovative services and partnerships.
• Caring for older people: supporting older people to receive the right care, in the right place, including recovering at home where possible, and reducing avoidable hospital stays.
• Supporting the workforce: strengthening clinical coverage and support to meet high demand.
• Education: helping people know which health services to use depending on their needs, including GPs, community services and emergency care.