‘Covid isn’t going away, next winter is going to be challenging’ – NHS and social care pressure remains ‘significant’

Next winter is set to be ‘challenging’ for Trafford according to health experts, who expect covid will become a seasonal illness.

Pressure on the borough’s NHS and social care system also remains ‘significant’ according to health workers as the residual impact of covid continues.

Plans for living alongside covid-19 into the future are being developed for the borough and Helen Gollins, acting Director for Public Health, gave Trafford council an update on the current coronavirus situation this morning (Wednesday February 9).

She said: “I’m sorry to say this but I think that next winter is likely to be another challenging winter for us, but at least we’ve got the next six to nine months to really think ahead about how we pull the system together and add the additional pressures that covid will bring into our planning.”

The current systems in place for Trafford, such as the outbreak hub and public health team support with PPE, vaccination and testing, are set to remain in place for at least another 12 months.

Ms Gollins said: “We’ve reviewed what we need for the next year. We will still have an offer in Trafford because we know that covid isn’t going to go away and it’s about how we adapt our systems for our residents to live safely with covid.

“What we have heard from our colleagues in adult social care and the NHS is that the pressures are still significant for our services, so we must be mindful that the impact that covid has had on our system has been significant.”

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