Health and social care braces for very challenging winter

A TOUGH season of cold weather, winter viruses and soaring demand is already here, but health and social care leaders have devised ways to protect services and keep people safe this winter.

Their Winter Plan 2025/26 was presented to the NHS Dumfries and Galloway Board on Monday.

It explains how winter preparations have been carried out, resulting in approaches to address flu, norovirus, staffing challenges and ongoing strain across social care.

Chief operating officer for NHS Dumfries and Galloway Nicole Hamlet said: “We know winter brings challenges every year, but we’ve prepared thoroughly.

“This plan reflects a coordinated, proactive approach to keeping services resilient and ensuring people receive safe, effective care when they need it.”

And Gareth Marr, chief officer of Dumfries and Galloway Health and Social Care Partnership, added: “Our teams across acute care, community services, mental health, primary care and social care have worked together to prepare.

“We face significant financial and workforce pressures, especially within adult social care, but we are confronting these head-on and focusing on protecting essential services for the winter ahead.”

Strengthened resilience measures include updated business continuity arrangements, adverse weather planning, and a regionwide Operational Pressures Escalation Levels framework to monitor system pressures in real time.

Senior staff have undergone major-incident training, and festive command structures are planned to manage peak pressures.

Vaccination teams have been busy delivering flu and covid jabs, with outreach planned for groups showing lower uptake.

Also, surveillance systems will track infection trends across respiratory viruses and norovirus.

However, the report warns that adult social care faces a projected £11 million overspend, with new restrictions on care package approvals - an issue expected to affect system flow and contribute to delays in discharge.

Measures to improve patient flow and reduce bottlenecks include the national Discharge without Delay programme, expanding Hospital at Home pathways, and collaborating with the Scottish Ambulance Service on a two-week festive test-of-change.

In addition, people are encouraged to use the right service at the right time, protect themselves against seasonal illness, and prepare medications ahead of adverse weather.

Ms Hamlet said: “Our workforce is at the heart of this plan. Their resilience keeps the system moving.”

Mr Marr added: “Winter will be extremely testing for us all, but we have made every effort to ensure that we’re ready.”