Guidance on supporting people at risk in cold weather

The Department of Health and Social Care has published updated guidance for adult social care managers and other professionals on how best to support vulnerable people before and during the cold weather.

The main messages include identifying those who are at a higher risk of cold-related illnesses, having a plan in place to support them, implementing business continuity plans and ensuring staff know when they should take action in winter.

Cold-health alert (CHA) action cards are available for social care providers, commissioners and the voluntary and community sector. They are used to summarise the suggested actions that providers of health or social care services should consider to prepare for and respond to each CHA type.

There is a UK Health Security Agency slide deck for organisations with responsibility for protecting health on raising awareness of cold weather and its impact on health - GOV.UK.

The Cold-Health alert season runs from 1 November to 31 March. Register to receive weather health alerts.

More about the Cold-Health Alerting system: overview - GOV.UK.

Additional resources can be found in our Winter Planning Guidance.

On climate change, there is a UKHSA report on how climate change makes extreme weather events such as cold, more intense and variable.