Be #winterwise and spread the message – not the flu

Colder temperatures, adverse weather, and flu – winter is here.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed in previous years to our engagement and communication about winter, staying well and highlighting activity.

This year, our ‘Wise up for winter’ messaging starts on Monday (14^th November) which will signpost people to the range of NHS information available about staying well, and what to do in an emergency. One of our main messages is to emphasise our winter activity – our busiest day of winter was the 1^st of January, and we responded to nearly 274,000 patients between November 2015 and February this year (10,000 more than the winter before).

We’re also on the lookout for patient meet-up opportunities from winters past, so please get in touch with communications@eastamb.nhs.uk if you’ve got that survived-because-of-us-on-Christmas-Day- type story you’d like us to follow up.

Social media will be one of the platforms we will share our messaging, so if you use facebook, Twitter, Instagram and You Tube, please share the content by following #winterwise. Otherwise, please check back to www.eastamb.nhs.uk for updates to share!

Meanwhile, there is naturally a big push for staff and volunteers to protect their health and wellbeing especially against flu, and hopefully you’re already aware about all the information and help available here. Winter can also bring unique challenges for mental health and wellbeing, so please remember that if you need to access help and information, you can do so here.

Have a healthy and safe season - to get a wider perspective on all things winter health, the NHS campaign ‘Stay well this winter’ can be accessed here.

Published 12th November, 2016