Summer readiness is essential to keeping people safe during periods of hot weather. Care providers should review their Business Continuity Plan (BCP) and Hot Weather action cards ahead of the season, ensuring all staff understand the actions required and feel confident to respond. Key steps include maintaining up-to-date contractor contacts, keeping indoor environments as cool as possible, ensuring consistent access to hydration, and storing medication at the correct temperature. Particular attention should be given to monitoring people’s wellbeing for early signs of heat exhaustion or dehydration, and identifying those most at risk so care can be adapted proactively. Hot weather can significantly increase the risk of serious illness, particularly for older people and those with long-term conditions, making early preparation and vigilant day-to-day management critical to safe, high-quality care.
These HCPA links and resources are designed to help or contact our Provider Hub via assistance@hcpa.co.uk or by calling 01707 708108.
We can also help with Business Continuity Planning contact businessdevelopment@hcpa.co.uk for support.
HYDRATION & UTI’S
We’ve gathered resources from our past events and the best of our education department, to help support you through the winter season and beyond.
Click here to see all upcoming Winter Training.
Winter support webinars
| Webinar title | Webinar date | Webinar recording | Webinar slides |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preparing for Winter: Keeping people and staff safe | Mon Dec 08 | Click here | Click here |
| Winter Preparedness Webinar | Wed Sep 10 2025 | Click here | Click here |
Vaccinations
| Description | Link |
|---|---|
| Herts and West Essex ICS - Vaccinations for older adults | Click here |
| Herts and West Essex ICS - COVID-19 medicines | Click here |
| Herts and West Essex ICS - Who is eligible for a COVID vaccination? | Click here |
| NHS - Find a pharmacy | Click here |
| Letter of Entitlement for frontline health and social care staff | Click here |
Infection Prevention & Control
| Resource name | Resource link |
|---|---|
| GOV.UK - Infection Prevention and Control resource for adult social care | Click here |
| 2025 Winter Readiness Toolkit | Click here |
| Catch it, kill it, bin it poster - Infection Prevention and Control | Click here |
| HCPA - 10 ways to prevent infection poster | Click here |
| GOV.UK - Infection Prevention and Control quick guide for care workers | Click here |
| GOV.UK - Donning and Doffing PPE | Click here |
| GOV.UK - Infection Prevention and Control in adult social care: acute respiratory infection | Click here |
| Report an outbreak of acute respiratory infection in adult social care setting | Click here |
| Standard Infection Control Precautions (SICPs) Monitoring Tool | Click here |
| NHS England - National Infection Prevention and Control manual (NIPCM) for England | Click here |
Care Planning and support
| Resource name | Resource link |
|---|---|
| Hospital Discharge Support – Hertfordshire Directory | Click here |
| Medicines and falls | Click here |
| Care Home Impartial Assessor – HCPA | Click here |
| Multifactorial Falls Risk Assessment | Click here |
| Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment (ReSPECT) | Click here |
| Supporting safer visiting in care homes during infectious illness outbreaks | Click here |
Physical Deterioaration and Safety
| Resource name | Resource link |
|---|---|
| Managing acute physical deterioration (PIER approach) – NHS England | Click here |
| Martha’s Rule – NHS England | Click here |
| RESTORE2™ official – NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight | Click here |
| Delirium - NHS inform | Click here |
| Weather Alerting System - GOV.UK | Click here |
| Physical Deterioration | Click here |
Winter Action Planning Guide
Your Detailed Winter Action Planning Guide, is a comprehensive resource designed to help care providers prepare for and manage the challenges of winter. The guide is structured into ten key areas, each addressing a critical aspect of winter readiness—from vaccinations and infection prevention to emergency contingency planning and wellbeing support.
Care providers should approach the guide systematically, working through each tab to review the recommended actions. For each area:
- Assess Current Practice: Use the checklist to identify gaps or areas needing improvement.
- Delegate Actions: Assign specific tasks to appropriate team members, ensuring clear ownership and deadlines.
- Monitor Progress: Regularly review completion status and ratings to track progress and address outstanding actions.
- Promote Team Communication: Encourage staff to share updates, escalate concerns, and collaborate on solutions.
By delegating responsibilities and maintaining oversight across all ten areas, care teams can ensure robust winter management, safeguard the wellbeing of those they support, and respond effectively to seasonal risks.
Health Observations and Deterioration
Importance of Managing Deterioration and Completing Health Observations During Winter
Winter brings increased risks for people receiving care, including respiratory illnesses, infections, and complications from cold weather. Managing deterioration effectively is critical to prevent avoidable hospital admissions and safeguard wellbeing. Key reasons include:
- Higher vulnerability: Frail individuals, those with chronic conditions, and older adults are more susceptible to rapid health decline during colder months.
- Early detection saves lives: Regular health observations—such as monitoring temperature, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and hydration—help identify subtle changes before they become emergencies.
- Pressure on services: Winter often sees increased demand on hospitals and emergency care. Proactive monitoring in care settings reduces unnecessary transfers and supports continuity of care.
- Compliance and quality: Following best practice for deterioration management aligns with regulatory standards and demonstrates commitment to safe, person-centred care.
Across all Care Services
Whether in residential care, domiciliary care, supported living, or nursing homes, consistent health observations and escalation protocols are essential. Staff should be trained to recognise early warning signs and act promptly using tools such as NEWS2 or RESTORE2.
Using the Webinar Resources
Providers can:
- Access the full slide deck here as a reference for training and operational planning. For slide deck with notes click here.
- Watch the webinar recording here to reinforce learning and share with teams. These resources offer practical guidance and examples to strengthen winter preparedness and improve outcomes for people in care.
Heatwave Resources
Provider Action Cards:
| Resource name | Resource link |
|---|---|
| Care Home and other Residential | Click here |
| Services delivering care to people in their own home | Click here |
| Voluntary and Community sector | Click here |
| UKHSA - Heat-Health Alert action card for health and social care providers | Click here |
National Guidance:
| Resource name | Resource link |
|---|---|
| GOV.UK - Adverse Weather and Health Plan | Click here |
| UKHSA - Supporting vulnerable people before and during hot weather: social care managers | Click here |
| UKHSA - Heat-Health Alerting System | Click here |
| UKHSA - Hot weather risks and their impact on health | Click here |
| UKHSA - Beat the heat advice for hot weather | Click here |
| UKHSA - Heat summary - supporting vulnerable people: social care managers | Click here |
| UKHSA - Beat the heat: keep cool at home checklist | Click here |
| UKHSA dashboard - Heath-Health alerts | Click here |
| UKHSA - Ventilation for indoor spaces | Click here |
| UKHSA - Personal protective equipment and heat: risk of heat stress | Click here |
Easy Read:
| Resource name | Resource link |
|---|---|
| EASY Read: Beat the heat: staying safe in hot weather | Click here |
Weather Alerts:
| Resource name | Resource link |
|---|---|
| Met Office - Weather Ready | Click here |
| Met Office - Heat-Health alert service | Click here |
| Met Office - Weather warnings guide | Click here |
| Weather alerting system registration form | Click here |
Council updates:
| Resource name | Resource link |
|---|---|
| HCC - portable fan guidance | Click here |
| Maggot infestations and wounds in hot weather | Click here |
HCPA Resources:
| Resource name | Resource link |
|---|---|
| Heat Exhaustion poster | Click here |
| Heatwave Consideration Checklist | Click here |
| Dehydration and Hydration posters | Click here |
Dehydration
Older adults are more at risk of dehydration and even more so if there is extreme heat. As part of your preparation for extreme heat, staff education is important to prevent dehydration. There are many reasons of why older adults are at more risk, due to not drinking enough fluids, swallowing difficulties, kidney function, medications, and poorly controlled diabetes.
In extreme heat and dry conditions can cause dehydration and the body to overheat.
What to look out for:
- Dryness Of the mouth, lips and tongue
- Sunken eyes
- Dry inelastic skin
- Drowsiness
- Dizziness, confusions or disorientation which can effect falls.
- Low blood pressure.
In extreme heat it is vital that all staff are aware of the signs of dehydration. Dehydration is also associated with a more concentrated urine output and understanding the colour of urine can be useful to detect dehydration.
Useful resources
Hydration and UTI’s
| Resource name | Resource link |
|---|---|
| Care UK - Hydration guide | Click here |
| HCPA - Dehydration & hydration poster | Click here |
| Hertfordshire & West Essex ICB - Identifying low intake dehydration in older people | Click here |
| Herts and West Essex ICB - 90 day improvement project - Hydration | Click here |
| I-Hydrate project | Click here |
| UKHSA & NHS - UTI Prevention and awareness toolkit | Click here |
Catheter Passport
Update Catheter Passport: A revised Catheter Passport has been adapted from the national version for HWE ICS, it has been divided into patient and Clinical sections and includes important details on consent and supplies. This update aims to improve clarity and support both patients and health and social care professionals in catheter care. Click here to view.
Past webinar resources
UTI and Catheter Care webinar – 3rd February 2026
Urinary Tract infections – 18th October 2023
Urinary Catheter care – 24th October 2023
Education & events
To see all upcoming training courses click here.
| Name | Recording link | Presentation slides link |
|---|---|---|
| Hot Weather Management - 24.06.26 | Click here | Click here |
| UTI and Catheter Care webinar - 13th Feb 2026 | Click here | Click here |
| UTI and Catheter care webinar - 11th September | Click here | Click here |
| Summer weather preparedness for ASC providers - 10th June 2025 | Click here | Click here |
| Hydration Prevention is better than cure! | Click here | Click here |
Get in touch
Send us a message and we will get back to you as soon as we can, or you can give us a call on 01707 536 020