14 August 2020
Public: coronavirus (COVID-19) advice for Devon on our website
Please pass this onto district, borough, parish and town councillors as appropriate. The bulletin can be shared as a link by clicking the 'View it as a Web page' link at the top.
Do it for Devon
Stick with us and keep following the guidance to keep everyone safe and well.
Devon extends a warm welcome to all visitors.
However, to keep us all safe, we need the support of local residents and visitors to keep following the guidelines with social distancing, washing hands and hand sanitising, wearing a face covering in enclosed spaces and avoiding busy places.
Latest data is helping us keep on top of the situation
Dr Virginia Pearson, Director for Public Health Devon and Chair of the COVID-19 Health Protection Board, said:
"Visitors to our website will have seen regular improvements since March to the way that we present public information and guidance about COVID-19.
"We're still posting the latest national, regional and local updates and developments, but recently we've included links to the available data.
"The data is publicly available from different sources, but we've pulled it together into the one place to give Devon residents and visitors to the county access to the latest information.
"We're using the data to monitor exactly what's happening in the county in order to spot potential situations at the earliest opportunity. That way, we can work with our partners to implement plans immediately to contain a situation before it becomes a problem.
"Devon, so far, is doing well to keep the number of confirmed cases low, even after there’s been easing of lockdown restrictions. That’s largely due to residents, and visitors, sticking to the guidance. There is no sign of any impact from the relaxation of lockdown or increased visitor numbers.
"To protect yourself and others, when you leave home you must:
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keep washing your hands regularly
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wear a face covering over your nose and mouth in enclosed spaces
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stay at least a metre, or better still two, away from people not in your household."
 Check confirmed cases in your area
Members may wish to refer to our new Devon website data using the new localised COVID-19 dashboard. The 'Power BI' dashboard loads live data across the region and you can click on your local district area to find details on:
- headlines - page 1
- confirmed cases and deaths - page 2
- confirmed cases by area - page 3
- confirmed cases: last 14 days - page 4
- deaths - page 5
- data sources - page 6.
Find the data by visiting the Coronavirus advice in Devon website and then on 'The picture in Devon' for more detailed statistics.
Car sharers advised to take precautions
Devon’s Deputy Director of Public Health has issued guidance to commuters and other car sharers as they head back to work or are out and about.
Facts and figures around the wider impacts of COVID-19 from Public Health England
Public Health England has been looking at the wider impacts of COVID-19, and at smoking and drinking habits, physical activity, how people are spending their time and grocery purchasing behaviour.
We’ve picked out some headlines, and here’s some of them:
- more than a third of adults are doing at least 30 minutes of physical activity on 5 or more days a week. Nearly a quarter of parents say their children are doing more than an hour of physical activity per day
- alcohol consumption is roughly what it was before COVID-19, but most 18 to 34s are more likely to be drinking less each week, and 35 to 54s more likely to be drinking more
- around half of smokers are still smoking as before, while others have increased it and some have cut. More than 1 in 10 smokers have tried to stop during COVID-19, and more than a quarter say they’re more likely to stop smoking now, than before lockdown
- anxiety levels are up, well above 2019 levels
- grocery shopping also up. Savoury home cooking purchases up by 27 per cent and sweet home cooking groceries up a quarter.
The data is interesting, but it also provides us an opportunity to reflect and reconsider our own habits and routines.
Inspiring young people into careers in health and social care
For young people thinking about their next steps following their A-Level and GCSE results, we and our NHS Devon CCG colleagues have launched a new Proud to Care Devon campaign to inspire young people into careers in health and social care.
Coronavirus has highlighted the importance of health and social care workers more than ever, and with certain sectors experiencing workforce shortages, we're encouraging 16 to 25-year olds in particular to consider a career in the sector.
Find out about possible careers in Devon on our Proud to Care Devon website.
Devon chosen to be part of ambitious national pilot
Devon County Council is one of 10 authorities across the country which has been chosen to take part in the pilot aimed at providing better care for children.
Preparations for schools to reopen in September
Devon schools will have told parents about the plans they have made for pupils to return, either by contacting them directly or publishing the information on their website. Parents can find out more information about how schools are making their preparations online. There is also guidance for parents, which sets out some of the changes and protective measures the government is asking schools and colleges to put in place, and about what parents, carers, children and young people will need to do to help ensure schools and colleges are as safe as possible for everyone.
Parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) should also refer to the separate guidance for full opening of special schools and other specialist settings.
If, in September, parents have concerns about their child returning to school or college, because they consider they may have other risk factors, they should not hesitate to discuss them with their school or college.
NHS priorities from August
NHS England has published a letter to all NHS organisations advising them of planning requirements for the third phase of their response to COVID-19.
Chief Officer for Adult Care and Health, Jennie Stephens, and Dr Virginia Pearson are representing Devon County Council on a Steering Group chaired by Philippa Slinger, tasked with delivering a draft plan by 1 September and a finalised plan by 21 September 2020.
There are a number of implications for local authorities, not least changes to hospital discharge funding arrangements. We await further guidance on this specific to adult social care.
The priorities for the NHS have been summarised by Carnall Farrar as:
- Accelerating the return of non-COVID services.
- Preparing for winter and possible COVID resurgence.
- Supporting the NHS workforce.
- Action on inequalities and prevention.
See their snapshot view below or view as a web page:
Click to enlarge PDF or download
NHS Volunteer Responders are still here to help
NHS Volunteer Responders have been supporting tens of thousands of people across England during COVID-19, with tasks including; collecting shopping, delivering prescribed medicines and making ‘check in and chat’ calls.
Restrictions may be easing but NHS Volunteer Responders are still here to help those self-isolating, including people with long-term health conditions or who have been advised to shield at any point.
If someone you know needs helps with essential tasks, NHS Volunteer Responders are here to help - please call 0808 196 3646 (8.00am to 8.00pm). People with caring responsibilities and frontline health and care staff can also request support.
Health and care professionals, as well as a range of public and voluntary sector professionals, can continue to refer vulnerable people into the scheme. Referrals can be made online at or by calling 0808 196 3382. NHS Volunteer Responders will be available to provide support until at least December 2020.
Further information is available at on the NHS Volunteer Responder website.
 Community groups are still doing an amazing job
Devon's incredibly lucky to have a strong and effective network of local groups and charities working in communities, supporting people who have needed help during coronavirus, and we've listed them on our webpages so that you can see what groups and individuals are offering help in your area.
As time moves on, and the urgency of those earlier days has become more routine for many, we're putting a call out to all of those groups we’ve listed to make sure that they’re still running.
We want to help raise awareness of them, and move them to our directory of local groups and services, called Pinpoint. Pinpoint is the go-to place for people wanting to find services and community groups in Devon.
If you know of a community group that we not listed yet, please ask them to add themselves to Pinpoint. It’s totally free.
Social enterprises invited to join regional network
Social enterprises - these are bodies that use some of their profit to do social good - have praised a partnership that has supported them during COVID-19.
They're encouraging other social enterprises to sign up to the Enhance Social Enterprise Network Devon & Somerset.
As with other businesses, social enterprises have been struggling with reduced income and uncertainty surrounding consumer habits during the pandemic.
The uncertainty has led to social enterprises signing up to the network in increasing numbers - membership's grown from 170 to 389 in just a few months.
Financial support to businesses during COVID-19
Nearly 900,000 firms in England have benefitted from over £10 billion in business grants, according to the government. Thousands more in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have received £4.7 billion of coronavirus support. 119,000 grants totalling £1.3 billion have been given to businesses in the South West. They say loan schemes, grants and business rates holidays have helped all sectors, but that retail, construction and hospitality, including hotels and restaurants, have benefitted the most.
 Do you know a Devon dairy farmer?
The Government has extended the deadline for dairy farmers to apply for money from the Dairy Response Fund. The deadline is now midnight on 11 September 2020.
The fund is to support eligible farmers in England who produce cows' milk, and it's provided in a one-off payment.
It was set up to help support dairy farmers who have seen decreased demand for their product, and to enable them to continue operating by helping cover ongoing costs.
More Devon libraries reopen next week
More of our libraries will be reopening for public access next week, commencing Monday 17 August. They'll include Bampton, Buckfastleigh, Kingsbridge, Lynton and Northam. Appledore Library is opening too, but by appointment. Buckfastleigh Library will be offering the Choose and Collect service from next week.
More details about our full list of libraries that are now reopened for public access are available online.
 Let's make it a 'shop local week'
It's Shop Local Week this week, (10 to 16 August) where shoppers are urged to do their bit to help local businesses rebuild from the coronavirus pandemic. And shops are geared up to keep shoppers safe with restrictions on numbers inside and social distancing.
We intuitively know it's good to support our local shops, and so many of them have pulled out the stops to do things differently to support us when we needed them.
The Government's given eight other reasons why it's good to shop local - it saves local jobs that individuals and families rely on, and it helps our local economy, to name but two.
So, let's make it a shop local week. The high street needs the support.
By pulling together across the Council, with our partners and our communities, we are doing everything we can to help us all through this incredibly difficult time. Thank you to you and your community and stay safe and well.
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