Friday 3 September 2021
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. Find previous bulletins on our web page.
Do it for Devon
Stick with us and keep following the guidance to keep everyone safe and well.
We need the support of local residents and visitors to keep Devon safe. While cases are high, everybody needs to continue to act carefully and remain cautious. This is why the government is keeping key protections in place
#RespectProtectEnjoy #DoItForDevon
Click to hear from Steve Brown, Director of Public Health
The government has announced that Devon has been designated an enhanced response area, alongside Cornwall, Plymouth, Torbay and the Isles of Scilly.
This is due to our high COVID-19 case rates across the South West, which is a result of the lifting of restrictions and increased socialising over the past few weeks.
Public Health Devon is in conversation this week with different government departments to understand what support is available from central government, to help reduce the coronavirus case rates in the county.
"We're going to see better use of our community testing vans," explains Steve Brown, Director of Public Health Devon in his latest recorded message.
“We’ve got five testing vans, which go out across Devon. Two of those vans already have embedded vaccination teams, so they’re going out to areas where there’s low uptake of the vaccine and encouraging particularly young people and people who probably wouldn’t ordinarily go to our fixed vaccination sites to come forward to get vaccinated.
“We’re going to be looking at testing as well to make sure that there is testing capability across the whole of Devon, so people can access testing swiftly and easily.
“We’re also going to see an increase in our public health campaigns, to encourage people to get tested if they have symptoms, and obviously to take up the vaccination programme.”
Coronavirus cases have fallen a little in the latest recorded week, but Steve Brown expects that with schools and universities and colleges going back over the next week or two, it’s highly likely that we are going to see the number of cases rising again.
“We’ve all got a vital role to play,” he says.
Public Health Devon is urging people to follow the advice to help reduce transmission:
- If you're eligible, please get your vaccination
- If you have symptoms, please isolate and take a PCR test
- Please regularly use lateral flow tests
- Don't forget public health measures - wash your hands properly and regularly; wear face coverings in enclosed public spaces, and social distance where you can.
“Together we can help keep the rate as low as possible as we go into the autumn and winter.”
Listen to the full statement on our YouTube channel.
CCG Members' briefing - coronavirus vaccination in Devon
Please see below for the latest coronavirus vaccination briefing for Members from NHS Devon, Devon’s Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG):
You can view current and previous copies on the Provider Engagement Network (PEN) website.
Pop-up testing and vaccination steps up to meet the challenge
Devon’s pop-up testing and vaccination service is to be more flexible and to cover more ground, in response to the county’s elevated designation as an enhanced response area.
We have additional resource for our pop-up testing and vaccination service, so that we can cover more ground and vaccinate more people in Devon.
"Our pop-up community testing sites have been running for many months and we've recently expanded them to include vaccinations,” said Steve Brown, Director of Public Health Devon.
"From next week, we'll have vaccine teams embedded within our own clinics, providing us more flexibility to schedule pop-up stops in towns and parishes across Devon where we know vaccine take up is low."
This week, our pop-up testing and vaccination van was outside Exeter Central Station. Over two days we vaccinated more than 150 people - a lot of them college-age students.
The pop-up vaccination service is to support the local roll out of the vaccination programme, which has reached nearly 90 per cent of the adult population in Devon with at least one dose.
"This extra resource for our pop-up service means that we will be able to respond quickly to get the vaccine out to more people," said Steve Brown.
We'll have our pop-up back in Exeter on Saturday (4 September), at Exeter Central Station in the morning (9.00am to 1.00pm) before moving to St James Park (1.30pm to 5.30pm) for the Grecians’ home game against Forest Green Rovers.
And from Monday 6 September, we intend to offer two clinics per day, every day, at locations across the county. Our ambition is to scale-up the pop-up vaccination service to all five of their routes, visiting five or even ten locations every day.
Find out more about the pop-up testing and vaccination service on our News Centre.
Find a walk-in coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination site
If you are 16 or over, you can also get a COVID-19 vaccine from a walk-in COVID-19 vaccination site without an appointment.
Including at North Devon Leisure Centre, Seven Brethren Bank, Sticklepath, Barnstaple, EX31 2AP (for Pfizer first and second doses) on:
- Friday 3 September
- Sunday 5 September
- Tuesday 7 September
You don't need to be registered with a GP, or bring ID. It might help to bring your NHS number.
If you're under 16 and eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, you cannot use these walk-in sites to get vaccinated. Please wait to be contacted by the NHS.
Schools are back soon - what do you need to know?
Share our Back to School edition of Connect Me with parents, carers and families to find out everything you need to know about returning to school.
It's packed with information about the start of term including COVID-19 testing; mixing and 'bubbles'; face coverings to be used in communal areas at school and on school transport; contact tracing and self-isolation - and financial support to care for a child who is self-isolating; free school meals; exams and assessments; and lots more.
You can subscribe to receive our Connect Me Children and Families bulletin.
New measures to boost care for Devon’s vulnerable children
A £3.4 million package of measures to recruit and retain high quality social workers to help and support Devon’s most vulnerable children has been revealed.
Take part in the short breaks survey
Do you work with someone who receives short breaks? Or do you have a child that does? We want to know what parents and carers, children and young people with disabilities and professionals working with children think of our current offer.
We have relaunched the short breaks review project and want to know more about the views of those who use or work with the service. Please take part in the short breaks survey today.
 On the frontline, care providers are working incredibly hard with continued COVID measures still in place. Quality care is being delivered including in the Firs care home in East Devon where a care worker has won an Outstanding Person–centred Care Award.
There are so many examples of care like this and we have written to every one of our independent care providers to thank them for all they have done over the last 18 months.
James McInnes, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health Services, says:
"We have much to be proud of locally and I want to thank Members for their continuing engagement, understanding and support of the vital role Adult Care and Health continues to have."
To support Members and MPs with any adult social care conversations they might be having, a short note is attached by way of a prompt to help explain adult social care and some of the challenges.
James McInnes, adds:
"We can all too easily get too detailed too quickly and miss landing the key adult social care messages. This note will hopefully help us resonate with people when discussing and explaining adult social care."
LoveCare building a head of steam
The LoveCare programme of work aims to transform our approach to recruiting, retaining and supporting a sufficient independent care provider workforce, working locally across our system and nationally with central government, trade associations and leading policy forums.
The work is building up a real head of steam with Phil Norrey our Chief Executive the programme sponsor. As part of this programme of work we are planning an Appreciative Inquiry, hosted by Phil Norrey that is seeking views from a wide range of people and places to understand how a career in care can be more attractive and what needs to happen nationally and locally to achieve that, including national policy changes and local terms and conditions of employment.
We will share more details as this work develops.
Devon Wellbeing Hub
The Devon Wellbeing Hub was set up a year into the COVID-19 pandemic in recognition of the challenging time individuals and teams in healthcare, social care and the police are having, both inside and outside of work. Since that time the Hub has now supported more than one hundred colleagues. The past 18 months have been incredibly difficult and have put pressure on people emotionally, financially and within their personal lives, as well as in their demanding jobs. The Hub now acts as a single place where someone can come along, speak to a member of the team about the challenges they are facing and create a plan for how to move forward.
The Hub has received overwhelmingly positive feedback with 93% of feedback from colleagues who have been supported saying they were very satisfied with the assessment session and wellbeing plan created.
One colleague said:
“This service came at a time when life stress had taken over my wellbeing. Incredibly easy to access and very sympathetically dealt with, I would say to anyone with any worries, don't hesitate; get in contact today.”
Another spoke about their experience of the Hub:
“A kind, compassionate response to my stress and feelings of overwhelm at work. The wellbeing assessor helped me to make sense of my feelings. The use of appropriate questionnaires helped me to understand these feelings differently, and helped me to consider the support available to me.”
Supporting carers to get COVID-19 vaccinations
Do you look after someone who relies on your help?
Would you like to have your COVID-19 vaccination but have difficulty leaving those you care for?
To find out more about what support is available to you email the Devon Vaccinations Support Team or call 01752 398836.
 Free app available now to support Devon’s Armed Forces community
Forces Connect is the free mobile app that signposts veterans, armed forces personnel and their loved ones to local support and advice. Over 10,000 people across the UK are already using it!
The app links users to local and national organisations offering help and support across a wide range of services, from crisis support to searching for an NHS dentist, starting a business to advice on housing.
Information is updated monthly to keep it relevant and up to date. It is completely free to download and use, does not contain adverts and requires no input of personal data.
If you or a member of your family are serving, have previously served, or if you support members of the Armed Forces community then the Forces Connect app is designed for you.
To download the app, search “Forces Connect” in Apple’s App Store or the Google Play Store. Find out more by watching the YouTube video
Expansion of mobile boost programme
A scheme to improve mobile phone coverage in rural parts of Devon and Somerset is being expanded.
Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) has announced that its Mobile Boost Programme, which aims to upgrade indoor 4G coverage in “not-spot” areas, now includes a greater choice of equipment.
 The Tour of Britain is only a few days away
Devon will host Stage Two of the 2021 Tour of Britain on Monday 6 September, starting in the new town of Sherford and finishing in Exeter.
Read all about our lucky competition winners who have scooped VIP Tour tickets on our News Centre.
World champion Julian Alaphilippe will be returning to this year's cycling event.
Find the full star studded start list for the Tour of Britain 2021.
Spread the word, show your support and find all the latest details about the race on the Tour of Devon 2021 website.
Members' Area
Don't forget your new Members' Area SharePoint site is your one-stop-shop to access resources to aid you in your role as a Devon County Councillor. Key documents from the Council's various service areas, including induction resources, are posted in the Document library, and the Who's who? highlights the best person for you to contact for an efficient resolution.
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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