Published: 17/10/24

Our colleagues at ARHAI Scotland have asked for us to promote their latest winter preparedness campaign for the community pharmacy network.

Every winter health and care providers experience additional demand for services due to an increase in seasonal viruses. These include:

• respiratory viruses such as flu, RSV and COVID-19

• gastrointestinal viruses such as norovirus

These infections can spread quickly in areas such as hospital wards or care homes causing service users (for example patients and residents) and staff to become unwell. 

Below you will find key infection prevention and control actions and supporting tools you can use in your winter planning preparations and during outbreaks and incidents.  These should be used alongside the content of the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual (NIPCM) and Care Home Infection Prevention and Control Manual (CHIPCM).

It includes:

• winter planning preparation and communications

• incident and outbreak management

• seasonal review and improvement