Winter advice

Winter and cold weather can have a significant impact on our daily lives and health.

This information will help you and your family to stay safe and healthy during the winter months.

You may need extra help if you:

are an older adult aged over 65 years
have pre-existing chronic medical conditions such as heart disease, stroke or TIA, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or diabetes.
have mental ill-health that reduces our ability to self-care (including dementia)
are pregnant
have a child under the age of five
have a learning difficulty
are at risk of, or have had, recurrent falls
live alone and may be unable to care for yourself
are housebound or have low mobility in the winter
live in a house with damp or mould
have problems paying your energy bills
are homeless or sleeping rough

Keep well

Get your vaccines - vaccines prevent serious illness and reduce transmission.
You can book your winter vaccinations (flu and COVID-19) or go to a walk-in session at local pharmacies, GP practices and community clinic drop-in centres.
You can book an appointment via the NHS App and find out who can get an NHS funded vaccination. Other ways to book:
Keep washing your hands for at least 20 seconds – this helps protect them from all kinds of germs including Norovirus.
Keep crowded spaces ventilated – open windows as much as possible. If it gets too cold, open them for a short time every hour or so.

Make sure any prescription medicines are ordered regularly, especially before a Bank Holiday. Find out what pharmacies are open during the Bank Holidays and remember most GP practices ask patients to order prescriptions at least three working days in advance.

1. Wet your hands, 2. Use soap 3. Rub your hands and count to 20 4. Rinse your hands 5. Dry your hands

Winter Illnesses

Caring for children with coughs

Norovirus

Also known as the winter vomiting bug, Norovirus spreads very quickly and causes vomiting and diarrhoea in people of all ages. Having Norovirus is very unpleasant but not generally dangerous and most people make a full recovery within a couple of days.

If you have symptoms, make sure you stay away from work or school until you’ve been symptom clear for two days. Be especially careful to avoid visiting hospitals or care homes and passing on the bug to others.

Contact your GP to seek advice if your symptoms last longer than a few days or if you already have a serious illness.

Worried about a vulnerable or elderly person?

Check on older friends, neighbours and relatives, especially those who live alone or have chronic health conditions, to make sure they’re safe, warm and well and not feeling lonely.

If you’re worried about a vulnerable or elderly person there is advice on the keeping warm page.

Find out about the Priority Services Register to ensure free extra help is available to you in vulnerable situations through your gas and electricity suppliers.

Travel

Highways - report problems and find travel, parking, road safety and highway maintenance information on the parking, roads and travel page.
Get winter driving advice from the AA and RAC.
Gritters - visit the winter maintenance page for information on gritting and our routes.
Stay up to date with the weather forecast from the Met Office.

At Home

Read our tips for preventing damp, mould and cold in your home
Consider a home safety checkfrom Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service.
Keep a torch handy.
Get your appliances serviced by a Gas Safe registered engineer to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
Register for the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Weather Health Alerting System to get email alerts.
In an electricity power cut call 105
For a gas emergency, dial 0800 111999.
If you have a power cut or a gas emergency, check on your neighbours.
Flooding and extreme weather - For information and advice on how to be prepared for extreme weather, including flooding, and where to turn for information during extreme weather events, go to our flooding and extreme weather pages.

Other useful guidance and information

Businesses

Download handwashing poster