As December approaches, health and social care organisations in the North East and North Cumbria are fine-tuning their winter preparations.

Hospitals in the region are receiving extra funding, part of a £240million fund announced by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock, to assist with winter preparations such as homecare and reablement packages to help support patients to go home as soon as they can. The North East will receive almost £14 million.

Learning from last year’s pressures, hospitals have mechanisms in place and have introduced new ways of working to deal with surges in demand.

Across the region, hundreds of beds can be allocated as dedicated ‘winter beds’ during surges, for example, for respiratory-related admissions which increase as temperatures fall.

Dedicated areas to assist patients to transfer to home, often called ‘discharge lounges’, are also in place. These give patients a comfortable space to wait in before returning home and help ensure they leave hospitals with the correct medicines and paperwork. They also help to free up bed space on wards as promptly as possible.

A&E departments face huge demand in winter and ‘streaming’ is in place in major A&Es so that patients with non-emergency illness are seen as quickly as possible.

Homecare and reablement services are also helping people to get better quicker in the comfort of their own home, ensuring they have the support and aids they need to leave and stay out of hospital. This reduces delays in patients leaving and eases pressure on wards.

South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has a team of Rapid Response/Fast Response Community Matrons and Community Nurses assisting patients to remain at home, including people who become acutely unwell, patients with long term conditions and those requiring palliative care. The service also assists with early discharge from hospital and preventing admissions, providing additional support and items such as nebulisers and specialist equipment through its therapist rapid response service.

Penny Bateman, Operations Director for Urgent and Emergency Care at South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Winter always brings a rise in road accidents, slips, trips and falls, but the biggest increase we see during this time is the number of people coming through our doors with respiratory problems – this increased by as much as 68% last year, but not all of these admissions really need a hospital stay, some can be treated as day cases or receive treatment in their own home, supported by community services.”

At North Tees and Hartlepool Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, it’s the Community Integrated Assessment Team that’s helping patients at home.

The region’s hospital trusts are promoting the #endpjparalysis campaign to help patients out of their pyjamas and up and out of bed to aid their recovery, and the trusts are all working hard to ensure as many staff as possible get the flu jab.

Deepak Dwarakanath, Medical Director, from North Tees and Hartlepool Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “As a responsible trust, this year we are focusing on achieving a 100% staff vaccination uptake to ensure our patients have the greatest protection. This involves working closely with unvaccinated staff who work in higher-risk areas to understand why they haven’t had their jab, and considering any changes that may be required to ensure the overall safety of that service area.”

This year’s NHS England and Public Heath England winter campaign: ‘Help Us Help You’ urges us all to play our own part in staying well, and choosing the right service to get the right help at the right time.

NHS England’s Medical Director for Cumbria and the North East, Professor Chris Gray, said: “The NHS has plans in place for the additional pressures that winter brings. We are building on our work last year and will be monitoring the system across the region to resolve issues and help manage patient flow.

“It’s vital to get help early if you are falling ill. You can now access your GP in the evening and weekends and local pharmacists can help with minor illnesses, and the flu jab is the best way to protect against flu. If you need urgent health advice, call 111.”

5 tips to ‘Help Us Help You’ this winter:

1. Get your flu jab –it’s the most effective way to protect yourself and loved ones
2. Check the UK page to know which NHS service is best for your needs
3. If you have a minor illness or ailment, ask your pharmacist first
4. If you care for children (in Cumbria and the North East)– download the free child health app for advice
5. Keep warm and stock up your medicine cabinet.