Preparing for Scotland’s winter respiratory season

With the start of the winter approaching, the Viral Respiratory team at Public Health Scotland (PHS) is gearing up their surveillance of respiratory infections. In our latest blog, Masie Rezaie, Principal Healthcare Scientist, tells us how the team gathers and shares this information to ensure Scotland is better prepared for the winter. Masie also shares some advice on the things we can all do to help keep ourselves healthy and well.

As the colder months approach, so too does the familiar rise in coughs, sneezes, and sniffles. For many people, illnesses that cause these symptoms are mild and can be managed at home, but for others - especially young children, pregnant women, older adults and people with underlying health conditions - they can be serious and sometimes require timely care from our NHS professionals.

This year, the Viral Respiratory Team at PHS is working closely with NHS colleagues to strengthen how we track and respond to respiratory infections. The aim is simple: to help people stay well, get the right care when they need it, and ease pressure on busy clinical services over the winter.

What’s new this year?

Winter is always a busy time for the NHS, and respiratory infections like flu, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) add extra strain.

This year, new PHS reporting measures in our weekly report and public dashboard will give a clearer picture of how these respiratory viruses are impacting services. We can now show the daily number of patients in hospital with influenza, COVID-19, and RSV infections, as well as the average length of hospital care they require.

We have also introduced an enhanced monitoring system of severe acute respiratory infections in intensive and high-dependency care, including children’s units. This helps us see which patients are most at risk of becoming seriously unwell from respiratory viruses that are circulating, and helps us to spot any changes in severity over time.

We’ve also been reviewing and improving our PHS surveillance systems that monitor these viruses across Scotland. For example:

• We have updated our approach to analysing NHS 24 call data to give us an earlier and better indication of the numbers of people seeking urgent advice for breathing problems and coughs,  which may indicate an increase in infectious respiratory illnesses.
• We have improved how we measure and classify activity levels for common respiratory infections based on our GP, hospital and outbreak testing, making them simpler to interpret.
• We have introduced a new approach for reporting activity levels for COVID-19. This information is used alongside test results from respiratory samples sent by GP practices taking part in our community respiratory surveillance programme (CARI), to show which viruses are circulating and how quickly they are spreading relative to other seasons.
• We are working to do more flu and RSV virus sequencing (analysing the genetic makeup of these viruses) so we can better track the circulating strains and find out sooner if the vaccines are a good match.

By strengthening these systems, we can spot new trends more quickly and communicate this information to the public - helping to reduce the impact of winter viruses on those most at risk.

What can you do this winter?

Everyone has a role to play in reducing the spread of respiratory infections and keeping ourselves and others well during the winter season. Here are some simple but effective steps:

• Get vaccinated if you’re offered a vaccine – Flu, RSV and COVID-19 vaccines offer the best protection against severe illness. If you’re eligible, you’ve got a reason to get vaccinated. Winter vaccines | NHS inform
• Practise good hygiene – Wash your hands regularly and cover your mouth and nose when you cough or  sneeze.
• Avoid unnecessary contact with others while you’re infectious. If you have a fever or flu-like symptoms, try to rest at home until you’re feeling better. This protects others, especially those at higher risk.
• Know where to get the right care – Many winter illnesses can be managed at home with rest, fluids, and over-the-counter medication. NHS inform has helpful advice on self-care. NHS 24 (111) can help if you need urgent care out of hours.
• Look out for others – Check in on elderly relatives, neighbours, or anyone who may struggle to cope if they fall ill.

By taking these steps and staying informed, you’re not only protecting yourself and your loved ones, but also helping to ease NHS pressures this winter.