NHS TRUSTS in the south are encouraging residents to have plans in place this winter to help them stay healthy.
Services within the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire integrated care board are encouraging a series of steps people can take to stay safe and combat illness.
The board is encouraging residents to stay up to date with vaccinations, including flu jabs which may be free of charge for those eligible, and COVID booster jabs.
It is also recommending that repeat prescriptions are collected in time for holiday periods and that cold and flu remedies are stocked up on.
For elderly or frail friends, neighbours, or family members, make sure to check in and to keep a list of emergency numbers at hand in case they are needed.
For those who get colds, coughs, or the flu, make sure to get help early and seek advice from your local pharmacy where appropriate, or call 111 for non-emergency advice.
More generally, the NHS recommends that homes should ideally be heated to at least 18°C if possible, and at least the room you spend most of your time in.
It also recommends a boiler service for help keeping your home heated where applicable, and stocking up on some winter supplies, such as food.
Those with care responsibilities, either professionally or personally, can find more information about NHS England’s cold weather plan via: www.gov.uk
Dr Abid Irfan, interim director of primary care at Buckinghamshire Oxfordshire, and Berkshire West ICB, said: “It is critical that we prevent people’s health suffering from cold temperatures and winter weather by having a personal winter plan to ensure we are prepared when we start to feel unwell with a cough, cold or flu.
“Having a personal winter plan might include making sure you have cold and flu medicines ready at home just in case you start to feel ill and that you have the prescriptions you need especially over Christmas and New Year.
“It is also important to have your flu jab –to keep both you and those around you safe.
“This is especially important for people over 65, people with long-term health conditions like diabetes and asthma, pregnant women, people living with someone who is clinically extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 and children.
“Flu can be unpleasant for most of us, but it can be much more severe in some people.”
