We know that the weather across the winter months can impact our most vulnerable residents and place additional pressures on the health and social care system.
The Council will contact providers in the event of specific weather warnings being issued (as per the below), via an email from ascincidentmanagement@staffordshire.gov.uk.
If the alert status changes, a further email will be sent.
If the alert period is extended, our Information for providers webpage will be updated accordingly.
Please note, these warnings will only typically be issued during standard office hours, so providers are encouraged to sign up for alerts directly from UKHSA and the Met Office
Heat-Health Alerts
The Heat-Health Alert Service forewarns of periods of high temperatures, to help us manage any adverse impact of the warmer weather.
The alert service has 4 colour states:
- Green (summer preparedness) – no alert is issued as we anticipate the weather will have minimal / no impact on health.
- Yellow (response) – an alert will be issued because the weather may have an impact on vulnerable people, meaning they may require more support from health & social care.
- Amber (enhanced response) – an alert will be issued because the weather may impact many of us, including those who are vulnerable, and this will impact health & social care.
- Red (emergency response) – an alert will be issued there is a significant risk to life for the population as a whole.
Adult social care providers are encouraged to sign up directly for alerts so they are able to provide effective support to our residents and ensure readiness of their BCP, in the event they need to be enacted in a timely way. In addition to receiving alerts, you can use the interactive map for updates.
UKHSA and the Met Office has a range of useful information to support adult social care providers in the event of the weather impacting health and wellbeing:
Met Office updates
The Met Office frequently sends out weather warning updates, for example in the event of a storm, heavy rain and winds and snow, which may impact some or all of Staffordshire. The potential impacts may include, travel disruption, damage to buildings and loss of power to services and homes.
The council will contact providers in the event of specific yellow, amber and/or red warnings being issued where it is anticipated it will impact on the provision of care and support, for example where utilities may be affected / potential outages and / or significant travel disruptions.
The Met Office has a host of useful, practical advice and support, to help during periods of adverse weather.
Adult social care providers can sign up to receive updates directly and routinely check in for live updates using the interactive map function.
Flood warnings
Adult social care providers, alongside other members of the local community, can sign up for free flood warnings via the national on-line service.
All you need is the address of your property / service(s), and email address and your preferred method of contact.