Staying safe and well in winter
Information and advice to help you take action to stay well and healthy during the cold weather.
Updated 7 January 2025
Cold weather can make some health problems worse and even lead to serious complications, especially if you are 65 or older, or if you have a long-term health condition. This page includes information on how to stay well and healthy during the cold weather, protecting yourself and the NHS.
Contents
- Vaccinations
- Pharmacy advice
- NHS 111
- Keeping warm and well
- Preventing spread of winter bugs
- Be prepared
- Mosquito bite avoidance - advice for travellers
Vaccinations
Getting your flu and COVID-19 vaccines are two of the most important things you can do to keep yourself and others around you safe this winter.
The UK Health Security Agency has a blog series about why vaccinations are recommended:
- Protecting yourself and your unborn baby against flu and COVID
- Get winter strong: why having a flu vaccine matters
- 5 reasons to vaccinate your under-5s against flu
Flu vaccinations
Flu is caused by influenza viruses that infect the windpipe and lungs. Flu will often get better on its own, but it can make some people seriously ill. It's important to get the flu vaccine if you're advised to.
Key Facts:
- There are around a billion cases of seasonal influenza annually, including 3–5 million cases of severe illness.
- It causes 290 000 to 650 000 respiratory deaths annually.
- Ninety-nine percent of deaths in children under 5 years of age with influenza-related lower respiratory tract infections are in developing countries.
- Symptoms begin 1–4 days after infection and usually last around a week.
Find out what to do if you think you have flu. This includes what the difference is between colds and "the flu".
Each year, different strains of flu virus circulate in the community as the virus is very adaptable. The World Health Organisation carefully predicts the likely flu viruses needed in the vaccine using information from flu strains circulating in the Southern Hemisphere earlier in the year. The vaccine is produced over the summer months, ready to be used in the UK during autumn. While not always perfect, the flu vaccine is one of the best defences we have against catching the flu.
Flu is very infectious and easily spread to other people from coughs and sneezes, which can live on hands and surfaces for 24 hours. To reduce the risk of spreading flu wash your hands often with warm water and soap, use tissues to trap germs when you cough or sneeze and bin used tissues as quickly as possible.
Find out if you are eligible for a free flu vaccine and details about the children's flu vaccine (or nasal spray).
See the Surrey Heartlands flu vaccination webpage for further information about the 2024-25 programme in Surrey.
If you are an unpaid carer looking after someone who is elderly or disabled, you can ask for a flu jab at your GP practice or take a Surrey Carers Flu Jab Voucher to a pharmacy offering the NHS flu vaccine. The vouchers provide the assurance that you are known to carers services here in Surrey and are therefore entitled to a free vaccination.
Find out more at Action for Carers Surrey.
If you're eligible for a free flu vaccination, you can have it at:
- Your GP surgery
- A local pharmacy offering the service
- Your midwifery service if they offer it for pregnant women
- Schools immunisation team
A full list of where you can get your flu vaccine is below:
Eligible group | Where to have the flu vaccine |
---|---|
All children and adults from 6 months of age to under 65 years in a clinical risk group | GP practice (all ages) or participating community pharmacy (age 18 years and above) |
All children aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2024 | GP practice |
All children from reception age (aged 4 -5) to school year 6 (aged 10-11) including the home-educated | School and/or community clinics delivered by the School-age Immunisation Service |
Children and young people from Year 7 (aged 11-12) to Year 11 (aged 15-16) including the home educated | School and/or community clinics delivered by the School-age Immunisation Service |
Pregnant women | GP practice, participating community pharmacy, or antenatal appointment |
Frontline health and social care workers (that do not have access to employer led occupational health vaccinations) | GP practice or participating community pharmacy |
Those aged 65 years and over (including those who will be 65 by 31 March 2025) | GP practice, participating community pharmacy |
Those in long-stay residential care homes | Care home |
Carers in receipt of carers allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person | GP practice, participating community pharmacy (also see Surrey Carers Flu Jab Voucher scheme above) |
Close contacts of immunocompromised individuals | GP practice, participating community pharmacy |
It is best to have the flu vaccination as soon as possible once the vaccine becomes available. The vaccine is offered in the autumn and winter before any outbreaks of flu. Remember that you need it every year, so don't assume you are protected because you had one last year.
Yes, if you are eligible to receive these two vaccines, you may be offered both in the same appointment. It is safe to receive both vaccines in the same appointment. But it's important that you do not wait to try and schedule both vaccinations at the same time as this may not be possible and could delay your protection over winter. Please take up the offer of each vaccine when you are invited to, even if they are on different dates.
COVID-19 vaccination
Visit the NHS website to find out how to get your COVID-19 vaccination, read about the vaccines and find out what happens when you have your coronavirus vaccination.
The Surrey Heartlands webpages on the winter 2024 COVID-19 campaign can be found at Surrey Heartlands COVID-19 vaccination programme.
Other vaccinations for children, adults and pregnant women
It's important that vaccines are given on time for the best protection, but if you or your child miss a vaccine, contact your GP to catch up. More information can be found on vaccination and immunisation.
Pharmacy advice
Help us help you. Speak to your local pharmacy team about minor health concerns before they get worse.
Get help early, if you are feeling unwell, don't wait, go to your nearest pharmacy. More information can be found on Pharmacy First, a new service provided by NHS England to help you get access to the right care from the right person at the right time for seven common conditions that require advice and treatment. To avoid a delay in your treatment, you can go straight to a pharmacy offering Pharmacy First, or be referred by your GP Practice, NHS111 or another medical or emergency care setting.
Why visit the pharmacy
Pharmacists are qualified healthcare professionals with the clinical know-how to give you the help you need. They can assess your minor illness and recommend the right treatment, whether it's over the counter medicines, a few days rest or a bit of reassurance. Most people live within easy reach of one, and with many not offering longer opening hours, it is easier to get the help and advice you need without having to book an appointment and without the need to go to your GP or A&E.
What pharmacists can help with
They are the right people to see for minor health concerns such as:
- Sore throats
- Coughs, colds and flu
- Tummy troubles
- Aches and pains
- Red eyes
- Sleeping problems
- Athlete's foot
- Mouth ulcers
- Constipation and diarrhoea
The quickest way to get the help you need.
NHS 111
Think you need medical help right now? Go straight to NHS 111, which is available on the phone and online. NHS 111 online can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
NHS 111 is there for when you need medical help fast for when it is not a life threatening emergency. For emergencies, call 999.
How NHS 111 works
You will be asked questions about your symptoms on the website or by speaking to a trained adviser on the phone. Depending on the situation, you will then:
- Find out what local services can help you
- Be connected to a nurse, emergency dentist, pharmacist or GP
- Get a face to face appointment if you need one
- Be told how to get any medicine you may need
- Get self-care advice
Keeping warm and well
One of the best ways to keep healthy during winter is to stay warm. This means keeping your home warm, at a minimum of 18°C (65°F) if you can. Respiratory diseases, such as asthma, are made much worse living in a cold home. The Met Office website provide weather forecasts, including severe weather warnings, to keep you prepared for all weather during the winter period.
The NHS have many suggestions on how to keep warm during this weather, including more information on keeping your home warm, help with heating costs, protecting your health and looking out for others. The gov.uk website also has further tips and resources on keeping warm and prepared for the cold weather.
Local support to stay warm
Living in a cold damp home can be very damaging to your physical and mental health, making health conditions such as respiratory diseases, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, worse. The good news is, there is support out there to help keep your home warm:
- Support is available to help you through this winter. Please visit health and welfare support for more information.
- For advice on how to reduce your energy use and carbon footprint, call Action Surrey on 0800 783 2503 to speak with an energy advisor or email them at info@actionsurrey.org. Contact Action Surrey – Surrey's Low Carbon Community
- Age UK Surrey provide information to help people stay safe, warm and well in the winter, including money saving tips and advice on benefits and grants, advocacy and counselling
- If you or your partner receive certain benefits, such as pension credits, payments are available from the government, including the winter fuel payment (Tel: 0800 731 0160) and cold weather payment. For more information on pension credits, please visit pension credit advice on Age UK's website. There's also a service for getting a free energy efficiency survey done for your home called Home Energy Advice Taskforce (HEAT).
Being cold can raise the risk of increased blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes. There are many things you can do to help:
- Keep active when you are indoors - try not to sit still for more than an hour, keeping your body moving will keep you warm. There are many ways you can keep active.
- Look after yourself - eating well can help improve your wellbeing, manage weight and reduce the risk of developing illnesses and diseases. Food is a vital source or energy, which helps keep the body warm.
- Look after your mental wellbeing - if you are feeling low, see ways you can improve your mental wellbeing through self-help methods.
- Look out for others - remember that other people, like older neighbours, friends and family members, may need a bit of extra help and care over the winter period. Check on them when you can.
- Stock your medicine cabinet up for winter - your pharmacist can advise you on which medicines you should have, to help you get you and your family through the winter season. Most winter illnesses can not be treated by antibiotics.
Surrey Warm Welcome Venues
Surrey Warm Welcome Venues will run once again this winter as places within the local community where people can enjoy a safe, warm and friendly environment in which to enjoy a hot drink, social activity and receive energy/debt information and advice. The service is open to all and is particularly beneficial to residents in hard to heat homes, those who are isolated, or those worried about their energy bills.
Visit the Warm Welcome Venues webpage to find your nearest location.
Prevent the spread of winter bugs
Bugs such as cold and flu viruses are easily spread to others. Three simple steps, Catch It, Bin It, Kill It, can help these from spreading:
- Catch it - germs spread easily, always carry tissues and use them to catch your cough or sneeze
- Bin it - germs can live for several hours on tissues, dispose of your tissue as soon as possible
- Kill it - hands can transfer germs to every surface you touch, wash your hands with soap and water regularly
There are a number of simple actions you can take to reduce the spread of respiratory infections, including COVID-19, and protect those at highest risk. For more information see the UK Health Security webpage Get Winter Strong: revisiting respiratory infection guidance for a safer season.
You can normally look after yourself or your child at home. Stay away from work, school or hospitals until your symptoms have stopped for at least 48 hours, as you may still be infectious for a short while. Hand washing is key to preventing the spread of norovirus to others. UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have produced a how to stop norovirus spreading leaflet. Call your GP or NHS 111 if you are concerned or need advice.
As colder weather arrives, respiratory infections start to increase, their spread helped because people start to spend more time indoors together with longer periods of close contact and fewer open windows for ventilation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Flu and RSV cases fell to very low levels because of the restrictions placed across the country. Published data shows that both infections rose again over the last two winters to levels higher than before the pandemic. Both infections have increased this autumn so far overall. The very young, the elderly and people with chronic conditions are most at risk of serious illness.
Although COVID-19 is not considered to be specifically a winter (seasonal) illness (cases are spread across the whole year) cases have risen since September and are likely to keep fluctuating. It is difficult to predict how the virus will affect communities this winter but it is still causing severe illness, hospitalisations and death for some people.
A vaccination programme was introduced in September 2024 for RSV, older adults and pregnant people are eligible, with the aim to protect the elderly and infants from the virus. See vaccination and immunisation for more information.
Cases of bronchiolitis are nearly always due to a viral infection, mostly RSV, and nearly all children are infected by the time they are 2 years old. For most people, RSV is a mild illness, but it can cause very severe respiratory infection for some. The NHS website has more information on bronchiolitis and when to seek help.
You can reduce the likelihood of your child developing or spreading the infection by:
- Using disposable tissues to cover your child's nose and mouth when they sneeze or cough.
- Washing hands frequently.
- Washing and drying eating utensils, toys, surfaces regularly.
- Keeping infected children at home until their symptoms have improved.
Be prepared
The emergency planning pages of the Surrey County Council website have information on what to do in case of severe weather or an emergency and includes further winter advice. In the event of an emergency or local disaster, Surrey's Crisis Fund can help provide support for immediate needs after a disaster or in an emergency, where no other options are available.
Flooding
Flooding can cause a range of health problems.
Do you and your family know what to do if there is a flood? Create a flood plan and include details on which belongings, electrical items and/or furniture you would want to move to safety, as well as what to take with you should you need to evacuate your home. Being prepared is vital. You can check for flooding in your area and sign up for flood alerts.
The Environment Agency have general tips and advice for creating a flood plan. UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) provides guidance on flood advice, how you can help others, information on how to clean up your home safely and questions and answers about health. Further information on how to keep communities and homes safe can be found on Surrey Prepared.
Mosquito bite avoidance - advice for travellers
Most of us enjoy travelling, seeing and learning about other parts of the world. By taking sensible precautions we can enjoy our holidays safely. In many countries, mosquito bites can spread diseases like chikungunya, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, malaria, West Nile virus, yellow fever and Zika. They can result in serious illness and some may even be fatal.
- Mosquitoes that spread chikungunya, dengue, West Nile virus, yellow fever and Zika mainly bite during the day and at dusk.
- Mosquitoes that spread malaria mainly bite in the evening and at night.
Avoid insect bites at all times including during the day.
1. What to do before travelling
- Check travel health advice for your destinations at Travel Health Pro
- See your practice nurse, GP, pharmacist or a travel clinic at least 4-6 weeks before travel for appropriate advice
- If you have health problems, are pregnant or planning pregnancy it is important to seek this pre-travel advice 6 to 8 weeks before travel
2. Three ways to avoid mosquito bites
- use the recommended repellent, for example, with 50% Deet
- use the repellent day and night, indoors and outdoors, on any exposed skin
- cover-up with clothing
- use an insect treated mosquito net when sleeping outdoors or in accommodation without air conditioning
- If you visit a malaria risk country and have a fever (38˚C or more), flu-like symptoms or any unusual symptoms during or after travel you must get urgent medical attention
- Don't wait until you return to the UK if you are unwell; get medical help abroad
- If you are ill after you return, tell your doctor about the trips you took in the past year
For more information visit: