Adult social care - winter preparedness plan: 2021-22

Introduction

This Winter Preparedness Plan sets out the measures that will be applied across the adult social care sector to meet the challenges of the winter ahead. It aims to provide information and assurance to all those involved in and affected by the provision of adult social care, including: those who access support and care and their family and friends; the social care workforce and unpaid carers; and care providers and sector leaders across Scotland.

It is a companion document to the Health and Social Care Winter Overview, which sets out the key challenges and response measures that will be implemented within the NHS and care this winter. Both Plans recognise the interdependencies across health and social care and that successful implementation can only be achieved through an integrated and collaborative approach to service delivery. The Plan should also complement and support contingency plans devised at local level and by individual providers.

To ensure that the Plan benefits the diverse range of people that use and provide adult social care services, it is centred around four key principles:

• Supporting the needs and wellbeing of the social care workforce and unpaid carers
• Maintaining high quality integrated health and social care services throughout the autumn/winter period
• Protecting those who use social care support from the direct impact of COVID-19 and wider winter viruses
• Working in partnership across health and social care to deliver this Plan

Within these categories, the Plan provides specific guidance on a range of critical issues:

The Plan provides high level information on the measures to be taken in each of these areas and also provides links to more detailed policy and strategy documents where appropriate.

We are grateful to the wide range of organisations across the social care sector for their assistance in drafting this plan, including those represented on the Pandemic Response Adult Social Care Group: Local Government, the NHS, Health and Social Care Partnerships, Regulators, the Third Sector, Independent Sector, Unpaid Carers, Trade Unions and professional bodies.