New guidance and priorities for winter in Adult Social Care and urgent and emergency care
Winter priorities for social care services
The Minister of State for Care has written to local authorities this week to set out priorities for adult social care this winter.
The Minister is aiming to improve service resilience ahead of the winter period, with a focus on high-quality care, a home-first approach, and close involvement of people, families, and carers.
- Government will engage with care staff and trade unions to establish the first ever Far Pay Agreement in the sector.
- There will be improvements to domestic and international recruitment and retention.
- Local authorities are asked to identify and support unpaid carers, and are signposted to the ADASS Supporting Carers Hub.
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Local authorities are asked to work with their ICBs to prevent avoidable hospital admissions and support timely discharge.
NHS winter priorities for urgent and emergency care services
NHS England has this week written to ICBs, NHS trusts, and local authorities with plans and support for trusts and ICSs to deliver emergency care this winter. The letter does not announce any new investment in the NHS.
NHS England has outlined a number of steps for themselves and for ICBs and providers to take to support patients this winter. These include:
- Preventing illness through the winter vaccination campaign, with flu, Covid and RSV vaccines.
- Ensuring basic standards are in place in emergency care settings, following a review of people's needs.
- Proactively reaching out to people with complex and long-term conditions, with the aim of avoiding hospital admissions for these groups.
- Collaboration between local partners to ensure timely hospital discharge this winter.
Read the full Adult Social Care Winter Letter 2024 to 2025:
Read the full NHS Winter Priorities 2024 to 2025: