Health leaders have issued an urgent warning following the early arrival of a potentially deadly flu virus with cases rising quickly in schools, care homes and hospitals across the country.

Doctors in the North East and North Cumbria are increasingly concerned about rising flu cases, much earlier than expected, due to a new, strong, strain of the virus, causing severe illness among older people.

Dr Neil O’Brien, chief medical officer, NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) said: “The new flu strain this year can cause serious illness, which could be fatal for some older, more vulnerable, people and those who have long-term health conditions.

“Our hospital wards are already seeing more patients with flu than usual, for November, and this could be just the beginning. Children are catching and spreading flu at alarmingly high rates which means the virus is likely to keep spreading through families and into older age groups in the weeks ahead.

“The flu vaccine is our best defence and will stop many people from becoming seriously ill this winter. If you’re eligible, and have not yet had your vaccine, it is vital that you get protected now.”

The flu vaccine is free for more than 1.7 million people, across the North East and North Cumbria, including everyone aged 65 and over, pregnant women, children aged 2-3, primary and secondary schoolchildren up to Year 11, and anyone with a long-term health condition such as asthma or diabetes. It’s also available to carers, and health and care workers.

More than 950 vaccination sites are available in GP practices, community pharmacies, and local hospitals. Vaccinations for adults can be booked online at www.nhs.uk, on the NHS App or by calling 119 free of charge.

Parents are being strongly reminded to return school flu consent forms for under-16s, 2–3-year old’s can get a free flu nasal spray at their GP practice or pharmacy, and pregnant women can be vaccinated at their GP practice, pharmacy, or during antenatal appointments.

“Every year we see many people seriously ill in hospital from flu and tragically too many dying – when this could be potentially prevented by a simple vaccination,” added Dr O’Brien. Please don’t wait – book your vaccine appointment today and protect yourself, because flu is spreading now!’

For more information, visit www.nhs.uk/fluvaccine.

More than 130,000 people across the region live with COPD – a serious lung disease which makes it harder to breathe.

It includes illness such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis which can cause permanent damage to the lungs and airways.

People with COPD often have a long-lasting cough, feel short of breath, wheeze and get tired easily – which can all be worse during the cold winter months.

Dr Catherine Monaghan, a leading respiratory consultant and medical director for NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), said: “Winter can be tough on your lungs especially when you have COPD.

“Cold air and winter viruses can make breathing much more difficult, but taking just three simple steps to protect your lungs could help you breathe easier, manage your symptoms, and avoid any unnecessary trips to hospital.”

People living with COPD are being encouraged to:
• Stop smoking
• Get their winter vaccinations
• Use their inhalers the right way, every day

“Stopping smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health,” added Dr Monaghan.

“Smoking damages your lungs, makes breathing more difficult, and can reduce how well your medicines work. You can talk to your GP or COPD nurse about free support available to help you quit.

“It’s also important to get your flu, RSV, and COVID-19 vaccines, if you’re eligible. Cold weather can weaken your immune system and make it harder to fight winter viruses and using your inhalers, in the right way every day, helps to keep your airways open, control your symptoms, and prevent COPD flare-ups.

“Taking these three simple steps now will help you breathe easier and stay well in the colder months ahead. If you need further advice or support, to help manage COPD symptoms, speak to your GP or COPD nurse for more ways to keep your lungs healthy this winter.”

1. Stop smoking

If you have COPD, quitting smoking is the best thing you can do for your lungs. It helps you breathe more easily, reduces coughing, and cuts the risk of flare-ups. Free NHS support is available.

Ask your GP, nurse, or pharmacist for advice, or visit NHS Stop Smoking.

2. Get your winter vaccines

Winter viruses like flu, RSV and COVID-19 can make COPD symptoms worse. Protect yourself by getting vaccinated.

Ask your GP practice or local pharmacist about free winter vaccines (if eligible) including:
• Flu
• COVID-19
• Pneumococcal
• RSV

Visit NHS Winter Vaccines to find out more.

3. Use your inhalers correctly

Using your inhalers the right way, every day, helps keep your airways open and symptoms under control.
• Use them even when you feel well
• Keep a spare inhaler at home
• If you’re unsure about your technique, ask your GP, nurse or pharmacist to show you

For more advice select your inhaler from the list and find step-by-step guidance at RightBreathe.

Your annual COPD review

Your GP practice may invite you for an annual COPD review. This is your chance to:
• Check your medication and inhaler technique
• Talk about your symptoms and what to do if they get worse
• Get support to stop smoking
• Make sure you’re up to date with your vaccines

A short chat can make a big difference to your health.

Your COPD winter checklist

✔ Have you had your winter vaccines?
✔ Checked your inhaler technique?
✔ Got enough inhalers and medicines at home?
✔ Stopped smoking or asked for help to quit?
✔ Know what to do if your symptoms get worse?
✔ Attended your annual COPD review?

Speak to your GP or COPD nurse for more ways to stay healthy this winter.

In the “biggest change to sexual health services since the 1960s”, the oral emergency contraception pill will be available for free to women from almost 10,000 pharmacies across the country without needing to see their GP or get an appointment at a sexual health clinic.

As part of a major expansion of pharmacy services announced by NHS England, people starting treatment with anti-depressants will also be able to seek additional advice and support about their medication and healthy lifestyle changes from their local pharmacist.

Earlier this year, pharmacies also began offering oral contraceptive pill consultations and repeat supplies, allowing women to start or continue the supply of their regular contraception from their local pharmacy.

The initiative is part of a wider package of support for community pharmacies and expanding access to NHS services, helping people to get the care they need in convenient, familiar settings.

People who have been newly prescribed antidepressants will also be able to seek additional advice and support about their medication and healthy lifestyle changes from their local pharmacist.

Anyone aged 18 collecting their new prescription for anti-depressants will be able to get more information from their local pharmacist about how the medication is working and address any concerns they may have, they can also arrange a follow up telephone chat if they prefer.

Dr Sue Mann, NHS National Clinical Director in Women’s Health, said: “This is one of the biggest changes to sexual health services since the 1960s and a game-changer in making reproductive healthcare more easily accessible for women.

“Instead of trying to search for women’s services or explain their needs, from today women can just pop into their local pharmacy and get the oral emergency contraceptive pill free of charge without needing to make an appointment.

“Community pharmacists and their teams are trusted professionals who women will be able to speak to confidentially and address any concerns they may have.

“With 4 in 5 people living within a 20-minute walk from a pharmacy this service is another example of how the NHS is already delivering on our 10 Year Health Plan commitment to shift care into the heart of communities.”

Minister for Care Stephen Kinnock said: “This is a major step forward that removes barriers of access to reproductive care that have let women down for too long.

“Pharmacies play a central role in communities – trusted by local people and easy to access. That’s why it’s vital there are a wide range of services and medications available.

“These changes will make it easier for people to get the advice and medications they need, while also reducing unnecessary pressure on GPs.

“This is exactly what our 10 Year Health Plan is about – shifting more care into the community so people can get vital support more quickly and easily.”

Community pharmacies are staffed by pharmacists who are skilled and qualified health professionals who are ready to provide advice and support, helping patients access emergency contraception or extra guidance on their anti-depressant medication as part of routine community healthcare services.

They are at the heart of local healthcare and are playing a bigger role as the NHS shifts care into the community.

As well as over-the-counter support and treatment for minor health concerns, community pharmacy services can also supply prescription-only medicines, such as antibiotics and antivirals where clinically appropriate, to treat common conditions – including sinusitis, sore throat, earache, infected insect bites, impetigo, shingles, urinary tract infections (UTIs) – without the need to see a GP first.

These changes follow a record funding boost by government to pharmacies of £617 million over 2 years, supported by Community Pharmacy England.

A campaign running from 20 October 2025 until 4 January 2026 aims to build awareness of the support community pharmacists can offer to patients in their neighbourhood.

It will appear on adverts across TV on Demand services, on radio, in public spaces such as bus shelters, as well as adverts on relevant websites and search engines, online videos and social media.

Your local pharmacy can now also provide a free blood pressure check service for anyone over 40, and they are supporting patients who wish to stop smoking through the Smoking Cessation Service.

Community pharmacies are also playing an increasing role in NHS vaccination programmes, providing flu and Covid vaccinations to those eligible.

Janet Morrison, Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy England, said: “Providing emergency contraception through community pharmacies is a fantastic move for widening access and convenience for patients across the country.

“Allowing regular supply of oral contraception from pharmacies has been well received, so building on this to now include emergency contraception is a natural step.

“Many pharmacies have been involved in similar local schemes for years, so we’re pleased to see this important new service introduce a consistent offer to women nationally.”

Source: https://www.england.nhs.uk/2025/10/free-morning-after-pill-women-high-street-pharmacies-nhs-expansion/

The proposed changes fall into two main areas: developing frameworks and guidance for assessing providers; and improving how the CQC assesses and rates providers.

Developing frameworks and guidance for assessing providers

• Re-introducing rating characteristics
  These are clear descriptions of what each rating level (such as good or requires improvement) looks like in practice. They will help to provide a better understanding of what each rating means.
• Replacing quality statements with assessment questions
  These questions will be similar to the previous key lines of enquiry (KLOEs) and will support the rating characteristics by guiding how we assess quality.
• Developing sector-specific frameworks
  These will include detailed content and guidance tailored to a specific health or care sector, so providers can better understand our expectations for their sector, as well as consistent core content that would be included across all frameworks.
• Simplifying the content of the frameworks
  We’ll remove duplicate or overlapping content and make the language clearer and easier to apply in practice.

Improving how the CQC assesses and rates providers

The CQC is also proposing changes to simplify how it makes judgements and awards ratings, including strengthening the role of professional judgement.

• Making judgements at the key question level
  We propose to make judgements directly at the key question level with reference to the rating characteristics. We will no longer award lower-level scores to drive our key question ratings.
• Potential changes to how we rate NHS trusts
  Specifically, we are asking for feedback on:
  • Re-introducing an overall quality rating for each NHS trust
  • Introducing trust-level ratings for all 5 key questions
  • Whether to remove location-level ratings.

Have your say

We are committed to ensuring that the changes and key decisions we make are informed by a diverse range of stakeholders, and we encourage you to get involved and have your say.

Alongside this public consultation, we are also engaging on proposed changes to the current assessment framework. The aim is to simplify and streamline the framework to be more specific and relevant to the health and care sectors that we regulate.

Public consultation

The quickest and easiest way to respond is through our online form.

Who it’s for

Open to everyone, including providers, professionals, partner organisations, people who use services, and members of the public.

How to respond

Read the consultation document and submit your response through our online platform.

Deadline

Please respond by 5pm on 11 December 2025.

Source: https://www.cqc.org.uk/news/cqc-launches-better-regulation-better-care-consultation

Your insight could help the NHS in the North East and North Cumbria develop a service called WorkWell to support people to stay well and keep working.

It aims to tackle those times when health problems – like stress, back pain or long-term conditions – get in the way of someone staying in or returning to work.

In some parts of the North East and North Cumbria, as many as one in three people are out of work due to poor health and WorkWell aims to help 2,000 people across the region in its first year.

This new service will help people with health problems to:

• stay in work, or
• get back to work.

NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board wants to hear your views. Tell them what you think to help shape the service. Please fill in their WorkWell survey or visit the website to find out more about WorkWell.

The survey is open until 3^rd November. If you need help to fill it in, contact nencicb.involve@nhs.net

Find out more about WorkWell in the short film here…