The NHS will run "war game" drills to try to avert a winter crisis.
Officials are desperate to prevent the health service from falling into a chaotic winter when staff cannot cope with demand.
Hospital leaders from each region are running worst-case scenario simulations in "Cobra-style" board meetings to check if their winter plans can cope with staff shortages and a surge in respiratory viruses.
However, the exercises have been met with scepticism by some health leaders, who questioned "whether they will actually improve anything".
It comes as the NHS braces for strikes over winter with junior doctors, who have rebranded themselves as resident doctors, able to stage walkouts through to the New Year.
Wes Streeting will haul NHS leaders into a "winter summit" on Tuesday in an effort to avert a crisis.
Writing for The Telegraph, the Health Secretary said he was "making my expectations absolutely clear" and that "we cannot stand for a repeat of previous winters".
He said there would be "war game" exercises across the NHS - "to prepare for the surge of seasonal illnesses before they hit" - and "more boots on the ground" to deliver care.
"We're doing everything we can to stop history repeating itself, by putting patients and staff at the heart of our Plan for Change, to not only deliver better winters, but an even better NHS all year round," he said.
"We cannot stand for a repeat of previous winters. I am making my expectations absolutely clear to NHS leaders. It's a huge task, but in the face of greater demand on the health service, I am asking them to make full use of the tools and resources available to provide the best possible support to the public."
Winter is notoriously busy for the NHS as it deals with rising cases of Covid, flu and other respiratory and seasonal illnesses.
Recent winters have been plagued with long A&E waits, vulnerable patients being treated on trolleys in corridors, and infamous images of ambulances queuing outside hospitals to drop off sick patients before they can head back out.
Last week, the Royal College of Nursing warned that so-called corridor care this winter could be "worse than last year".
It is the first time the NHS has run "war game" scenarios to prepare for winter and is part of measures designed to give more power to local leaders to deal with incidents as they arise.
Officials said local health teams were also taking action on delayed discharges - when a person is well enough to leave hospital but has nowhere to go, such as because of social care issues - so "discharge capacity can surge at times of peak demand".
New vaccination campaigns will try to encourage people to take up the offer of vaccines such as flu jabs to try to prevent people from getting ill in the first place, with pregnant women among the first to be invited for seasonal jabs next week.
NHS leaders said there would also be "easier access to rescue medicine" such as Tamiflu to help prevent symptoms from getting worse among people who are at high risk of complications.
Reacting to the announcement, however, Dr Ian Higginson, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said it would be "interesting to see what these planned tests actually are, what they will measure, and what they will evidence that we don't know already, but most importantly whether they will actually improve anything".
"The results of the tests must be published, so their effectiveness and impact can be determined and any winter plans amended accordingly before it is too late," he added.
"Without action, not just paper exercises, ill and vulnerable people will continue to be stuck on trolleys in corridors, with all the awful consequences that result."
Sir Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS England, said: "Despite record demand this year, NHS teams have worked hard to improve waiting times, with last month's Category 2 ambulance response times the fastest for four years - but we know the coming colder months will be much more challenging.
"The NHS has done more preparation to be ready for the winter months than ever before, because we know the last few winters have been particularly tough for patients and staff, and we are determined for this year to be better."
By Wes Streeting, Health Secretary
Winter is almost with us - and this year is set to be the busiest ever for A&Es and ambulance services.
Every year, Telegraph readers see harrowing reports of ambulances delayed, A&Es overwhelmed, and doctors and nurses on the brink.
We're doing everything we can to stop history repeating itself, by putting patients and staff at the heart of our Plan for Change, to not only deliver better winters, but an even better NHS all year round.
That's why we are redoubling our efforts to cut ambulance waiting times, ease A&E pressures and create access to many more timely appointments.
This government has acted fast - delivering record funding, ramping up preparations to winter-proof our NHS and putting resources exactly where they're needed most.
For Telegraph readers, that means one thing: we're fighting hard to make sure you and your loved ones get the care you need, when you need it.
Five-hundred new ambulances are on their way by March 2026.
And we're already helping GP surgeries recruit more staff, offer more appointments and stay open for more people.
We've backed the NHS with over £450m for urgent and emergency care, including more same-day emergency care and new mental health crisis hubs.
More boots on the ground. More help, faster, closer to home.
That means virtual wards to monitor people remotely. Rapid response teams ready to act. And "war game" exercises across the NHS - to prepare for the surge of seasonal illnesses before they hit.
We cannot stand for a repeat of previous winters. I am making my expectations absolutely clear to NHS leaders. It's a huge task, but in the face of greater demand on the health service, I am asking them to make full use of the tools and resources available to provide the best possible support to the public.
So to everyone in the NHS: let's work together to get the job done, protect patients and ease the strain in the health system.
And to everyone reading this: you can be part of this effort. The single most important thing you can do is simple - and powerful.
Get vaccinated. If you or someone you love is eligible for a Covid or flu vaccine, please don't wait.
It could save your life, and will help all of us protect each other and our NHS as we head into colder weather.