Public Health Wales has issued a reminder to health and social care providers about the need to prepare for cold weather following Met Office predictions of very cold weather over the next few days (currently until November 22).
Its recommendations to providers include:
- make sure you have a healthy workforce
- consider making provision for key staff to stay at work overnight if possible
- make sure you have adequate supplies of likely required medicine
- consider how possible delays in pharmaceutical supplies would be dealt with if transport is disrupted by bad weather
- implement local plans for contacting vulnerable individuals
- ensure staff are prompted to signpost vulnerable individuals onwards to relevant services as appropriate
Public Health Wales notice for health and social care providers: Read the full reminder notice or download the PDF document
PHW also warns: “Cold weather can pose serious health risks including hypothermia (where body temperature falls below normal and the body fails to cope), falls and injuries, heart attacks, strokes, respiratory diseases and flu.
“Indirect effects of cold include mental health illnesses such as depression, and carbon monoxide poisoning from poorly maintained or poorly ventilated boilers, cooking and heating appliances and heating.
“Those most at risk of suffering impacts from cold weather include older people, very young children and people with pre-existing medical conditions.”