Preparing for winter: A checklist for healthcare professionals caring for older people

Identifying local services

• Are there local charities that will provide support to keep homes warm, help with shopping upon discharge from hospital, and support older people who can’t get out if it’s icy? Age UK, British Red Cross and RVS are good places to start.
• Which local charities provide services to help with loneliness or offer exercise classes?
• Where can older people find advice about home energy use and benefit entitlements?
• What do the local authority or other services provide over winter?
  • Warm spaces in libraries or community centres.
  • Fire safety checks and smoke alarm fittings.
• What adverse weather events are likely to affect your patients over winter (snow, flood, ice)? What is the plan to identify patients who might need additional support in extreme weather?
• Which local charities will provide draught excluders and reflective radiator panels?

Download our printable poster to help document and display details of your local services in your workplace. 

Questions to ask patients before the winter (in GP surgeries/in their homes)

• Do they have an advance care plan in place? If they were ill enough, would they want to go to hospital?
• Is their home warm enough in winter?
• Do they have family / friends who would look in on them in winter?
• Are they claiming all the benefits they are entitled to?
• Are they on the Priority Services Register?

Patient records and connections

• Is a CFS score recorded in all patient notes?
• Do you have the relationships needed with social care, Hospital at Home, UCR, SDEC in order to help avoid unnecessary admissions for older people over winter?
• Have all older patients in the community and in hospitals been offered the appropriate vaccinations?
• Have staff been encouraged to be vaccinated?
• Can you provide written information with details of support services to patients when they are discharged?

Hospital/system level

• Are there changes that you can make now to avoid unnecessary hospital admission over winter? Can a Hospital at Home or Front Door Frailty service be introduced?
• Can you take steps now to avoid provision of corridor care over winter?
• Do you have discharge services in place to ensure that planning for discharge starts as soon as an older person is admitted to hospital?
• Can all ED staff be trained to recognise frailty at the front door?
• Is there an Integrated Neighbourhood Team that can support with step down services?