Alleviating Winter Pressures in Adult Social Care

As we move towards longer days and spring is around the corner, weather and temperature fluctuations still present challenges for adult social care providers. The winter months are consistently associated with higher demand, reduced capacity and greater operational strain, making early preparation essential for maintaining safe and effective care delivery.

Winter is also a period marked by a rise in viruses and seasonal infections, many of which pose serious risks to people who use adult social care services. Older adults and individuals with underlying health conditions are particularly vulnerable, increasing pressure not only on care providers but also on hospitals, community services and discharge pathways.

While most providers already have infection prevention and control policies in place, winter pressures highlight the importance of reviewing and strengthening these measures. Ensuring procedures are up to date, effective and well understood by staff can help reduce avoidable illness, protect the workforce and ease pressure across the health and social care system. Below, we outline some of the most common healthcare risks during winter, along with key preventative measures and considerations for the months ahead.

Common Healthcare Risks During Winter

1. The effects of lower temperatures

Lower temperatures significantly increase health risks for people who rely on adult social care services. Cold weather reduces the body’s ability to fight infection and places additional strain on vital systems, particularly in older adults and people with long term health conditions. For these groups, even short periods of cold exposure can lead to serious complications.

Cold weather places extra pressure on the heart and circulatory system. As temperatures drop, blood vessels constrict, increasing blood pressure and the workload placed on the heart. In the UK, winter is consistently associated with higher rates of heart attacks and strokes, particularly among older adults. These risks contribute directly to seasonal pressure across health and social care services, including increased hospital admissions and delayed discharges. View our course on strokes to learn how to handle and manage patients at risk of or suffering from a stroke.

Maintaining adequate warmth in care settings and private homes is therefore a critical preventative measure. Heating, appropriate clothing and regular monitoring of indoor temperatures all play an important role in reducing avoidable illness during winter.

2. Reduced sunlight and vitamin D

Winter months in the UK bring significantly reduced daylight hours, which has a direct impact on vitamin D levels. Vitamin D plays an important role in immune function, muscle strength and bone health, yet deficiency is widespread during winter, particularly among older adults and those who spend limited time outdoors.

Lower vitamin D levels are associated with weakened immune responses, increasing susceptibility to respiratory infections such as flu and COVID-19. For people already managing long term conditions, this reduced immunity can result in more severe illness and longer recovery times, adding further pressure to care services.

Adult social care providers should be aware of this seasonal risk and consider how nutrition, supplementation guidance and safe outdoor activity can support overall health during winter months.

3. Increased viruses and infections

Winter is traditionally associated with higher levels of respiratory illness, but the 2025 / 2026 winter season has seen exceptionally high levels of flu activity across the UK. Data from NHS England acquired by the BBC has shown that not only has the flu started earlier this year compared to previous years, but that flu cases are at its highest since 2022, putting sustained pressure on NHS capacity.

This increase has been compounded by the continued circulation of COVID-19 and other seasonal viruses. For people receiving adult social care, particularly those in residential settings or with complex health needs, this combination presents a heightened risk. Increased infection rates can lead to staffing shortages, outbreak management challenges and greater reliance on acute healthcare services.

For the adult social care sector, this winter has reinforced the importance of robust infection prevention and control measures, vaccination uptake, staff training and early identification of symptoms to limit the spread of illness and protect both service users and staff.

Most common viruses this winter

Influenza (flu): Seasonal flu remains one of the most significant winter pressures on the UK healthcare system, causing severe illness in older adults and people with long term conditions and contributing to increased hospital admissions and care demand.
COVID-19: COVID-19 continues to circulate year-round, with winter bringing higher transmission rates. View our updated COVID-19 course to stay prepared.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV): RSV is particularly dangerous for older adults and those with weakened immune systems, often leading to serious respiratory complications that place additional strain on both social care services and hospitals.
Norovirus: Highly contagious and fast spreading, norovirus can cause sudden outbreaks in care environments, leading to temporary service disruption, staff absences and increased infection control pressures.
Common cold viruses: While usually mild, common cold viruses can escalate into more serious respiratory infections for people receiving adult social care, especially when combined with cold temperatures and reduced immunity during winter.

4. Slip and fall risks

Winter weather significantly increases the risk of slips and falls due to icy surfaces, wet conditions and reduced visibility. In the UK, falls are one of the leading causes of injury-related hospital admissions among older adults, with data consistently showing higher incidence during winter months.

For people in adult social care, a fall can have serious and lasting consequences, including fractures, reduced mobility, loss of independence and increased care needs. Falls also place additional strain on health services through emergency admissions and longer recovery periods.

Preventative measures such as appropriate footwear, hazard assessments, adequate lighting and timely gritting of outdoor areas are essential components of winter planning within care environments.

5. The mental health risks of winter

Winter can have a profound effect on mental health, particularly for people who are already vulnerable. Shorter days, colder weather and reduced social interaction can contribute to low mood, increased anxiety and social isolation. Seasonal affective disorder and depression are more prevalent during winter, especially among older adults and those with existing mental health conditions.

For people receiving adult social care, these changes can be exacerbated by reduced mobility, illness or limited access to outdoor activities. Declining mental wellbeing can also impact physical health, engagement with care and overall quality of life.

Monitoring mental health during winter and taking proactive steps to maintain routine, social connection and meaningful activity is essential. Supporting emotional wellbeing helps not only individuals but also contributes to more stable care environments during periods of increased pressure.

How to prepare effectively for winter pressures

Staying Warm

UK Government guidance advises that indoor temperatures should be kept at a minimum of 18°C for healthy adults, with higher temperatures recommended for older people or those with health conditions. Encouraging individuals to wear several thin layers of clothing rather than one thick layer can also help retain heat more effectively.

Additional steps care providers can take to help people stay warm during winter include:

Regularly monitoring indoor temperatures, particularly overnight
Ensuring heating systems are serviced and working efficiently
Providing warm bedding, blankets and appropriate nightwear
Encouraging hot meals and warm drinks throughout the day
Identifying individuals at risk of fuel poverty and supporting access to assistance

Maintaining warmth is one of the simplest and most effective ways to reduce winter related illness and pressure on health and care services.

Apply Infection Control and Prevention Measures

Alongside maintaining a warm environment, infection prevention remains a critical part of managing winter pressures. Increased indoor contact, reduced ventilation and higher levels of circulating viruses all increase the risk of outbreaks within care settings.

Key infection prevention measures include:

Effective hand hygiene for staff, visitors and people supported
Appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE)
Regular cleaning and disinfection of high touch surfaces
Good respiratory hygiene, including the use of tissues and disposal practices
Ensuring adequate ventilation, even during colder weather

Most providers have well established infection prevention and control policies following the COVID-19 pandemic. However, winter pressures make it essential that managers are confident all staff fully understand and consistently follow these procedures. Reinforcing good practice, offering refreshers and sharing guidance with the people being supported can significantly reduce the spread of infection.

With strong infection prevention measures in place, outbreaks are more likely to be contained quickly, helping to protect individuals, staff and wider healthcare services. Learn more about infection control and upskill your workers through our infection control course.

Consider Winter Vaccines

The third thing to which providers should turn their attention is vaccines. All social care staff are entitled to vaccines each year. These not only help to stop staff becoming unwell, meaning that there’s less sick time to cover, but also contribute to ensuring people being supported by the sector don’t become unwell too.

For more information on what vaccines people are entitled to, this article in CMM, written by the UK Health Security Agency, outlines the three main vaccines that are available to people using and working for adult care services, and the dates on which these vaccines become available.

It should also be noted that vaccines are available for informal carers as well, and it is worth passing this information on to any family members of the people you support in case they aren’t already aware.

Recommend winter vaccines for carers and social workers

There’s a lot of different vaccines available. Due to the increased number of cases in 2025 and beyond, here are some of the highly recommended vaccines caregivers should consider. Of course, if the individual in your care is at risk of something specific, protecting against that should be a core priority.

Seasonal flu vaccine, to reduce the risk of flu related illness and hospitalisation
COVID-19 booster, particularly for those working with clinically vulnerable people
RSV vaccine, where eligible, to protect against serious respiratory infection

Craft a winter-oriented diet

Reduced sunlight during winter months can lead to low vitamin D levels, which impacts immune function, bone health and muscle strength. Ensuring adequate vitamin D intake is particularly important for people who spend limited time outdoors.

Supplements are an effective way to maintain vitamin D levels during winter, but diet also plays an important role. Foods rich in vitamin D include:

Oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines
Eggs
Fortified cereals and spreads
Fortified dairy or plant based milk
Red meat and liver

A balanced, nutritious diet supports immune resilience and helps reduce the severity of winter illness, contributing to better outcomes for people receiving care. If you’re supporting clients with food preparation, make sure to complete our Food Safety Course.

Refresh Staff Training

High quality training is essential year-round, but it becomes even more important during winter when infection risks, operational pressures and safeguarding concerns increase. Staff who are confident and well trained are better equipped to identify early signs of illness, follow infection control procedures and respond effectively to changing needs.

Strong policies alone are not enough. They must be supported by ongoing training, clear communication and regular refreshers to ensure knowledge remains current and actionable.

At Social Care TV, we offer a wide variety of courses that can be used to help support to boost workers knowledge during winter, and ensure that they’re knowledge is refined and up to date.

Handling Winter Pressures in Social Care

There is no one way to entirely stop people from contracting viruses and infections, but with the right measures, reduction of the spread of these illnesses is often achievable.

For more information and support with operating your adult social care business, visit the CMM website, where you’ll find features, podcasts, blogs and events to help you stay one step ahead.

For more information on Infection Control training please see:
Infection Control - Social Care TV (social-care.tv)

Discover who's won our care worker of the month for January 2026 and why they deserve the spotlight this month. Learn more about our winner's nomination story.

Article by Care Management Matters, adapted for Social Care TV. First published 26th September 2024, last updated 11th March 2026.