Correspondence

Winter letter 2025 to 2026

Published 16 October 2025

Applies to England

To: chief executives of local councils and directors of adult social services

Building winter resilience in local systems

I am very grateful to local councils and the adult social care sector for your ongoing work in supporting our goal of helping people stay independent for longer. I want to thank you for the work you do to drive continuous quality improvement, join up services at a neighbourhood level and give people greater choice and control over their care and support.

I know you will already be planning for the forthcoming winter period, working in partnership with the NHS and other community partners. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to underline some important elements of good practice to enhance service resilience.

NHS England has written to integrated care boards (ICBs) and NHS provider organisations, setting out clear expectations around financial discipline and performance delivery, while also sharing insights to support winter preparedness. This letter complements those messages - and reinforces the importance of a joined-up approach to planning across the health and care system for this winter.

Support will continue to be available to local areas as you undertake joint planning ahead of winter. The department is working in partnership with the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS).

Business continuity and working with providers

I acknowledge the urgent work undertaken by local councils in response to the failure of a supplier of integrated community equipment services, NRS Healthcare. I am very grateful for local councils’ efforts to establish alternative supply arrangements to ensure continuity of care. I welcome their continued attention to ensuring this transition remains as smooth as possible.

Local councils should continue to ensure good business continuity plans are in place for a range of risks in the winter period which could affect adult social care provision. In particular, local councils and care providers should maintain business continuity plans to prepare for localised disruptions caused by severe winter weather, including disruptions to energy supply, disrupted transport and staff shortages, while considering the impacts of these events on ‘business as usual’ activities over the colder winter period. Colleagues should refer to the government’s Adverse Weather and Health Plan, to support planning and response to adverse weather during the winter months.

Providers should continue to follow infection prevention and control (IPC) guidance including the infection prevention and control resource for adult social care and the acute respiratory infection (ARI) guidance for adult social care. Health and care systems must work to maintain the right balance between IPC measures and facilitating access to visitors. Visits from family and friends provide vital social interaction, which is important at this time of year.

Vaccination is crucial to protect the social care sector against respiratory illnesses and reduce winter pressure on services. The flu vaccination will continue to be offered for free to frontline social care workers without an employer led occupational health scheme. The COVID-19 vaccination eligibility has changed and will be offered to adults aged 75 years and over, residents in a care home for older adults and individuals aged 6 months and over who are immunosuppressed. The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine will be offered to women who are 28 weeks pregnant or more, people aged 75 to 79 and people who turned 80 years old after 1 September 2024.

Preventing avoidable hospital admissions and supporting timely discharge 

I know that local councils and adult social care providers are already working closely with NHS partners to prevent avoidable hospital and care home admissions, reduce length of stay in hospitals and reduce delayed discharges. There has been very good progress in some areas, although in other areas admissions have risen and delays for people got worse, which undermines outcomes for local residents.

I also recognise the important steps local councils have taken with their NHS partners in managing pressures and preparing for winter, including agreeing appropriate discharge profiles.

Local councils should continue to work with ICBs and NHS trusts to ensure an integrated approach to winter planning and preparedness across health and social care, including:

• supporting NHS winter surge planning, including considering contingency arrangements for a significant flu or COVID-19 wave
• ensuring sufficient social care assessment capacity to prevent avoidable admissions and support timely discharge planning throughout the winter period
• taking additional steps to reduce hospital occupancy prior to Christmas to give systems the best chance of managing the early weeks of January
• keeping capacity and demand plans for intermediate care under regular review and ensuring additional capacity is available during periods of peak demand, to reduce avoidable admissions and keep pace with projected discharge needs over winter
• making efficient and effective use of recovery orientated intermediate care services, provided in people’s homes whenever possible

This year we have worked with local councils and adult social care partners to develop the following guidance documents that support these aims for winter and beyond, as part of the Better Care Fund Support Programme delivered by the LGA:

• High impact change model: improving the timely and effective discharge of people with dementia and delirium into the community
• High impact change model: using data and intelligence for whole system decision support
• a refresh of the High impact change model: reducing preventable admissions
• a refresh of the High impact change model: managing transfers of care

Housing and homelessness

Intervening early to support the health of people who are sleeping rough over winter helps to prevent crisis, reduce emergency presentations and alleviate pressure on the wider health and care system.

Local councils, health and housing partners should continue their efforts to work together to reduce delayed discharges for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, as highlighted in NHS England’s framework on inclusion health.

Government guidance issued jointly from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on discharging people at risk of or experiencing homelessness sets out that these individuals should be referred to the care transfer hub for integrated, person-centred discharge planning. Local councils and ICBs should work collaboratively to ensure people’s housing circumstances are identified early during hospital stays and are fully embedded into discharge planning processes.

Funding is also available through the rough sleeping prevention and recovery grant in 2025 to 2026 which can play a vital role in supporting system resilience over winter, particularly in helping to prevent rough sleeping, facilitate timely and effective hospital discharge, and reduce pressures on emergency services. This consolidated grant provides £185.6 million across England to support a flexible range of locally driven interventions, such as Housing First, outreach, accommodation, support for prison leavers and access to specialist services such as physical or mental health support. 

Support for unpaid carers

Support for unpaid carers - those providing care for family, friends or neighbours - is more important than ever throughout the winter period. This includes identifying unpaid carers early and ensuring they can access support to maintain their own health and wellbeing, alongside those they care for. The ADASS supporting carers hub offers useful practice examples and resources to improve carer support. Local councils should co-produce plans with people who draw on care and their unpaid carers, and consider:

• access to respite and short breaks
• clear information and advice services
• emotional and peer support
• recognition of young unpaid carers
• support for carers balancing work and care

Funding available for local councils

The government recognises the significant pressures that councils are facing and will ensure that councils are able to continue to deliver the services their communities rely on. The government has made available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025 to 2026.

Local councils are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population, which is why under the Care Act 2014 they are tasked with the duty to shape their care market to meet these diverse needs and reasonable preferences of local people. This includes encouraging a variety of different providers and specialist services so as to provide genuine choice.

Thank you in advance for your continued dedication and hard work over the coming months. Your efforts are vital to delivering for our communities, and I’m grateful for your commitment as we navigate this important period together.

Yours sincerely

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State for Care