Frances Woodroffe, Director of Urgent and Emergency Care, Buckinghamshire Integrated Care Partnership and Dr Dal Sahota, Director of Unplanned Acute Care at Buckinghamshire CCG, write to readers about winter preparations:

It really feels like winter has arrived now, with the dark evenings and cold mornings plus all the recent cold and wet weather we’ve had. But there are plenty of things we can all do to increase our chances of a happier, healthier winter.

We look after emergency care at the Buckinghamshire Integrated Care Partnership – which brings together all the organisations that work to keep the people of Buckinghamshire well. This includes the County Council, local NHS services, mental health services and the ambulance service.

We all know that this time of year places added pressures on health and care services but together we are working very hard to prepare for the extra challenges of winter. We are providing free flu vaccines to all frontline health and care staff to keep services running and we are putting extra support into communities and the ambulance service for falls and frailty to try to support older people who’ve fallen at home to reduce the need for hospital treatment.

The flu vaccine is a really important way you can help yourself to stay well during the winter too. It’s offered free to a number of people who are at extra risk if they catch the flu – like young children, pregnant women, people aged 65 and over and people with certain long term health conditions. You can find out if you’re eligible for a free flu vaccine by looking online at www.nhs.uk/flu.

We also want to particularly highlight that carers are eligible for a free flu vaccine too – if you get a Carers Allowance contact your GP or local pharmacist. If you work with or look after someone with a learning difficulty or autism you can help to make sure they get their vaccine too.

Winter is also a harder time of year for the elderly and isolated and we can all do our bit to help friends and neighbours who may be more vulnerable. Could you offer to do an elderly neighbour’s shopping for them for example, or just knock on the door and check they’re OK?

And finally – to help us manage the pressures of winter I really want to highlight what you should do if you start to feel unwell. Please call 111 – that is by far the best way for an expert to quickly assess the best way to help you. They are available 24/7 with trained staff who can connect you with a nurse, doctor, pharmacist, or mental health nurse. It’s also available online at www.111.nhs.uk. It’s also really important that if you have a bug that’s making you sick or giving you diarrhoea that you don’t come into A&E – do call 111 for their help and advice if you need it.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy winter!