Keep Well This Winter

Simple steps to help you and your family stay well this winter

Winter can be a difficult time for our health. Cold weather can make some long-term conditions worse, while coughs, colds, flu and other respiratory infections are more common. There are some simple things you can do to protect yourself, your family and your community. This guide brings together the latest NHS advice, along with local sources of support across Birkenhead and Wirral.

 

Get your winter vaccinations

 

Vaccination is one of the best ways to protect yourself against serious illness.

Flu vaccination

 

The NHS offers a free flu vaccination to people who are at greater risk of becoming seriously unwell from flu. This includes many older people, pregnant women, young children and people with certain long-term health conditions.

For winter 2026/27, most eligible adults can have their flu vaccination from 1 October 2026, while some groups, including pregnant women and eligible children, can be vaccinated from 1 September 2026.

You may be able to have your vaccination at your GP practice, a participating pharmacy, or through another NHS service.

 

COVID-19 vaccination

 

The NHS winter COVID-19 vaccination programme is offered to eligible people, including people aged 75 and over, some people with weakened immune systems, and older-adult care-home residents.

COVID-19 vaccinations for the winter programme take place from 1 October 2026.

If you are unsure whether you are eligible, speak to your GP practice, pharmacist or NHS 111. 

 

Keep your home warm

 

Cold homes can increase the risk of respiratory illness and can make some existing health conditions worse.

Try to:

    • Keep the rooms you regularly use at around 18°C or above, if you can.
    • Keep your bedroom window closed at night.
    • Wear several thin layers of clothing rather than one thick layer.
    • Have regular hot drinks and at least one hot meal each day.
    • Keep moving around during the day if you are able.
    • Check that heating and cooking appliances are safe.
    • Make sure you know what support is available if you are struggling with energy bills.

If you are worried about heating your home, please ask for help rather than turning the heating off completely. There are local organisations that can help with energy costs and advice around keeping your home warm such as www.epplus.org.uk

The NHS advises that keeping warm can help protect against illnesses including pneumonia and can also support mental wellbeing. If you need help and support around fuel poverty, please contact your GP practice and ask them to arrange for our social prescribers to contact you.

 

Prepare before you become unwell

 

A little preparation can make winter illnesses easier to manage.

Make sure you have:

    • Regular prescription medicines available.
    • A small supply of medicines suitable for your household, such as paracetamol, where appropriate.
    • Tissues and hand soap.
    • A thermometer if you normally use one.
    • Important telephone numbers saved somewhere easy to find.

Do not wait until the Christmas or New Year holidays to order repeat prescriptions.

You can order repeat prescriptions through the NHS App or through your GP practice. If you need help collecting medicines, ask a family member, friend, neighbour, or volunteer. 

 

Think Pharmacy First

 

Your local pharmacist is an important part of the NHS and can provide advice and treatment for many common winter illnesses.

Pharmacists can advise on conditions such as:

    • Coughs and colds
    • Sore throats
    • Earache
    • Sinusitis
    • Minor infections
    • Aches and pains
    • Medicines and side effects

The NHS Pharmacy First service also allows pharmacists to provide treatment, including certain prescription medicines where clinically appropriate, for seven common conditions.

These include:

    • Earache in children aged 1–17
    • Impetigo
    • Infected insect bites
    • Shingles in adults
    • Sinusitis
    • Sore throat
    • Uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women aged 16–64

Age restrictions apply, and not every pharmacy offers every service, so check before visiting. 

For many minor illnesses, your local pharmacy may be the quickest place to get help.

 

Know how to manage a winter illness

 

Most coughs, colds and flu-like illnesses can be managed at home.

If you become unwell:

    • Get plenty of rest.
    • Drink plenty of fluids.
    • Keep warm.
    • Eat regularly, including at least one hot meal a day if possible.
    • Ask your pharmacist about suitable medicines.
    • Avoid spreading infection to others.

Antibiotics do not work against viral infections such as flu and should only be taken when prescribed for a condition where they are appropriate. 

 

Help stop infections spreading

 

Winter respiratory infections can spread easily.

Protect yourself and others by:

    • Washing your hands regularly with soap and water.
    • Covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
    • Putting used tissues in the bin straight away.
    • Coughing or sneezing into your elbow if you do not have a tissue.
    • Staying at home and avoiding close contact with others if you have a high temperature or feel too unwell to carry out your normal activities.

These simple steps can help reduce the spread of flu and other respiratory infections. 

 

Look after your mental wellbeing

 

Shorter days, colder weather, financial pressures, illness and loneliness can all affect how we feel.

Try to:

    • Get outside in daylight every day if you can.
    • Keep physically active.
    • Stay in contact with friends, family and neighbours.
    • Keep doing activities that you enjoy.
    • Join a local group, class or community activity.
    • Talk to someone if you are struggling.

If low mood is affecting your everyday life, lasts for more than two weeks, or you are finding things difficult to cope with, contact your GP practice and ask for a referral to our Mental Health Team who will be able to contact you to help.

Some people experience seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a form of depression that follows a seasonal pattern and is more common during winter. 

 

Look out for vulnerable family, friends and neighbours

 

A quick phone call or knock on the door can make a big difference.

Consider checking on:

    • Older neighbours who live alone.
    • People with long-term health conditions.
    • People with disabilities.
    • Pregnant women.
    • Families with young children.
    • Anyone struggling with heating or food costs.
    • Anyone who may be isolated or lonely.

If someone is struggling, help them find support early rather than waiting for a crisis.

 

Stay active – even when it is cold

 

Being active is good for both physical and mental health.

You do not need to join a gym. Try:

    • A daily walk when the weather is safe.
    • Walking to local shops.
    • Gentle exercises at home.
    • Chair-based exercises if mobility is limited.
    • Community exercise or activity groups.
    • Moving around regularly rather than sitting for long periods.

If icy or very wet weather makes outdoor activity unsafe, find ways to keep moving indoors. You could always join our Healthier Neighbourhoods Walk and Talk group who meet each week on Tuesdays at 11am from Paxton Medical Group, Claughton.

 

Take extra care if you have a long-term condition

 

Cold weather can worsen some conditions, particularly respiratory and cardiovascular conditions.

If you have a long-term condition such as asthma, COPD, heart disease or diabetes:

    • Make sure you have enough prescribed medication.
    • Take your medicines as prescribed.
    • Know what to do if your symptoms become worse.
    • Attend planned reviews and vaccinations.
    • Seek advice early if you become unwell.

If you are unsure what to do, contact your GP practice, pharmacist or NHS 111. 

 

Know where to get help

 

Choosing the right service can help you get the care you need more quickly.

Local pharmacy - For advice about medicines and many minor illnesses.

GP practice - For ongoing health problems, worsening symptoms, long-term conditions and problems that need assessment by a GP or another member of the practice team.

NHS 111 - For urgent medical problems that are not life-threatening, when you are unsure what service you need. You can use NHS 111 online or call 111

999 / A&E - Call 999 or attend A&E for a life-threatening emergency.

For example, with flu or a respiratory infection, seek emergency help for symptoms such as severe difficulty breathing, sudden chest pain or coughing up blood. 

 

Community Support Directory 

 

There is a wide range of community support available across the Healthier Neighbourhoods PCN area. Services and opening times can change, so please check with the organisation before attending.

Wirral InfoBank 

 

Wirral InfoBank is a useful starting point for finding local community groups, activities, voluntary organisations, support services, food support, warm spaces and wellbeing opportunities.

It is maintained with support from Wirral Council and is designed to help residents find services in their local area.  

Help with food and essential household costs

Wirral Foodbank

 

Wirral Foodbank provides emergency food to people experiencing crisis through a network of local centres.

If you need an emergency food parcel, a local agency can usually help with a foodbank voucher. Wirral Council also provides information about emergency food support. 

Home | Wirral Foodbank

Telephone: 0151 606 2005

Beechwood Community Shop

 

Community Shop is a social enterprise that is empowering indivduals and building stronger communities, by realising the social potential of surplus food. Members of Community Shop can shop for good food at great prices – easing pressure on family budgets – but also gain access to professional, personal development programmes, to kick-start positive change in their own lives. We call this The Success Plan

Community Shop Beechwood | Facebook

 

Feeding Woodchurch Together

 

A local community organisation supporting families across Woodchurch with food initiatives, emergency hampers, community information and practical support. About Us – Feeding Woodchurch Together

 

The Gate – Woodchurch

 

A community food/social supermarket service based at Gateway Church on Woodchurch Road. A local Wirral support directory lists the service as providing food support Monday to Friday.

Address: Gateway Church, Woodchurch Road, Woodchurch, Birkenhead, CH41 2UF.

Please check current arrangements before attending. 

 

Warm spaces and help with heating

 

Wirral Council reports that there are more than 20 Warm Hubs across Wirral, providing safe and warm places for residents to visit.

Find local Warm Hubs through Home | Wirral InfoBank

If you are struggling with energy costs or heating your home, you may also be entitled to financial or practical support.

Citizens Advice Wirral / Ask Us Wirral

 

Citizens Advice Wirral provides advice about benefits, debt, housing and other problems.

The Ask Us Wirral service brings together Citizens Advice Wirral, Age UK Wirral, Wirral Change and Wirral Mencap to provide advice and support.

Ask Us Wirral: 0808 278 7848

 

Age UK Wirral

 

Age UK Wirral provides information, advice and support for older people, including help with benefits, housing, health and wellbeing, pensions and home improvement.

Their Joining Forces Information & Advice service also has a drop-in clinic at:

Wirral Military Point, 132 Claughton Road, Birkenhead, CH41 6EY

The clinic is held on the second Wednesday of each month, 9am–1pm. Home visits may also be available. 

Age UK Wirral - Devonshire Resource Centre

Telephone: 0151 482 3456

Age UK Wirral, Liverpool & Sefton | Welcome to Age UK Wirral, Liverpool & Sefton

 

One Wirral

One Wirral works with communities across Wirral to improve health and wellbeing and connects people with voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise organisations.

 

A&K Community

A&K Community are committed to providing advice and guidance, promoting physical and mental well-being and creating pathways for a better future for all.

They offer a host of events and group sessions covering everything from money and benefits advice to men’s mental health, mum's tots group, and community quiz groups.

 

Wirral Change

 

Wirral Change can help people who need support accessing local services, including people who may have difficulty communicating with services or for whom English is not their first language.

Telephone: 0151 649 8177
Email: info@wirralchange.org.uk 

 

St James Centre – North Birkenhead

 

The St James Centre is a community facility serving the North Birkenhead area and provides a range of activities and community services.

Address: 344 Laird Street, Birkenhead, CH41 7AL
Telephone: 0151 670 9974

 

The Lauries Centre – Claughton

The Lauries Centre is a community facility on Claughton Road which hosts a range of community activities, groups and services.

Address: 142 Claughton Road, Birkenhead, CH41 6EY
Please check the centre's current programme before attending.

 

Green Community Shop and Centre

 

The Green Community Shop and Centre in Oxton is a not-for-profit community initiative based around sustainability and local participation. It provides a community space and hosts activities including a parents and toddlers group. wirralenvironmentalnetwork.org.uk

 

Carrbridge Centre

 

The Carrbridge Centre is a community facility serving Woodchurch. It provides a base for community activities and local support.

 

Wirral Mencap

 

Wirral Mencap provides support for people with learning disabilities and their families and carers.

Address: 42–44 Market Street, Birkenhead, CH41 5BT
Telephone: 0151 666 1829

 

Equilibrium North West – Livingstone Street Family Hub

 

A community and family facility providing activities and support for families and local residents.

Equilibrium North West Family Hub Livingstone Street Play & Community Centre

Address: 130 St Anne Street, Birkenhead, CH41 3HX
Telephone: 0151 647 6044

 

If you are struggling, please ask for help

 

Winter can be difficult financially, physically and emotionally. You do not have to manage on your own.

 

If you are struggling to afford food or heating, feeling lonely, worried about money, or finding it difficult to manage your health, please speak to someone.

Contact your GP Practice and ask for our Social Prescribing team to contact you, they can provide direct support, advice, referral and signposting.

Useful numbers to keep handy

NHS 111 – urgent medical help

999 – life-threatening emergency

Published: Sep 15, 2026