Friday 15 October 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
Extra £8.5 million to help Devon deal with COVID-19 over winter
We've agreed a further £8.5 million package of support for local communities to deal with the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 over the winter and beyond.
It includes over £5 million of extra support for schools, colleges and the University of Exeter, £1.5 million additional support for outbreak management in care settings, a £1 million fund for voluntary sector groups to support local community projects aimed at supporting vulnerable people, as well as schemes aimed at young people and rough sleepers.
It's part of our £20 million share of a national Contain Outbreak Management Fund (COMF), which all local authorities access, to help manage the pandemic and its impact on local communities.
So far, that funding has been spent on vital elements of our response, such as local community testing facilities and contact tracing; infection prevention and control in care homes and other settings; vaccination outreach assistance; support for youth services, early years and care settings; public mental health support; and rough sleeper support.
Read the full story on the news pages of our website.
The shortage of care workers in England now is greater than it was pre-pandemic, according to national charity, Skills for Care.
Care providers everywhere are struggling to find enough staff. Many are turning down new requests for help, and juggling rotas and home visits while doing the best they can to care for vulnerable clients.
In Devon, around 2,000 additional care workers are needed to fill growing numbers of vacancies, and demand for care is rising. People needing care are finding it very difficult; and people already getting help are seeing changes to their visits while their care providers respond to higher demand. But it's not just social care.
"There are more people in Devon today who quite simply need help, than there are people to provide it," said Cllr James McInnes, Cabinet Member responsible for adult care and health.
"I'm talking about help with shopping, picking up prescriptions, preparing a meal, or company because they're lonely."
Personal Assistants - people who visit others at home who need personal care or a wider range of help - are also in short supply.
"We're a county of well meaning, often kind-hearted and generous people. When we've needed to come together and look out for friends and family, we generally have. Now is the time to do that again."
We want to hear from people with experience of caring who are keen to work in the care sector. We can provide one-to-one telephone support and free training. And to become a Personal Assistant, we can help with advice and guidance.
If you have time to spare and can volunteer to help in your community visit Devon’s ‘Show you Care’ website or get in touch with your local community group.
Read more on the news section of our Devon County Council website.
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.
Strike action disruption to bus services in the South West
There is a planned strike for Stagecoach bus drivers across the South West taking place on Monday 18 October.
The proposed industrial action is in the Exeter, Torbay and North Devon areas of the network. Some of Stagecoach’s services will be subject to disruption and temporary timetables, and others may not be able to operate.
The Stagecoach website gives a detailed list of services they’ll be unable to operate and those which will operate temporary timetables.
Devon’s health and care system under extreme pressure
Devon’s health and social care system is under extreme pressure due to high demand for services, sustained demand for COVID-19 beds and pressure on staffing.
Pressures are being seen across the system, in mental health care, primary care (GPs) and adult social care as well as our acute hospital trusts.
Dr Paul Johnson, Chair of NHS Devon Clinical Commissioning Group, said:
“We really need you to support us. Please ask yourself whether you have a genuine life-threatening emergency before attending an Emergency Department. If you are not in the right place, you may be redirected to a more appropriate service. This is because we need to safely prioritise those with the most urgent need.
“We are also asking people to pick up friends or relatives as soon as they are well enough to be discharged from hospital. This frees up beds for other patients who need them.
“Finally, we are seeing high numbers of children coming to hospital. There is a really useful HANDi paediatric app for advice on common childhood illnesses and when to seek help.”
There are other ways people can support services. These include:
- using your local pharmacist for minor conditions such as insect bites, ear ache and skin rashes
- using NHS 111 – online or by phone if you need advice or medical treatment quickly and can’t wait to see your GP. If you need to be seen by a Minor Injuries or Emergency Department they can book you in
- getting vaccinated against COVID-19. Have both jabs and your booster if you are eligible
- staying away from hospitals if you have COVID-19 symptoms, or diarrhoea and vomiting
The NHS is working hard to address pressures across the system by promoting the most appropriate places to seek medical help, vaccinating people against COVID-19 and through staff working long hours and extra shifts.
Longer term measures include recruiting more staff and creating extra capacity with new theatres and diagnostic facilities in Plymouth and at the former NHS Nightingale hospital in Exeter.
For further information on the NHS Devon CCG, visit www.DevonCCG.nhs.uk
A reminder about vaccine exemptions
The Department for Health and Social Care has published guidance on how people can apply for official proof that, for medical reasons, they are unable to be vaccinated and/or tested for COVID-19.
Find out more on the government website.
NHS delivers more than 850,000 top up jabs to most at risk
The NHS has reported that its COVID-19 booster programme is continuing successfully, with those currently eligible deciding to have their top-up jab by the thousands when invited.
They include people who are clinically vulnerable, health and social care workers and people aged 50 years old and over who had their second COVID-19 jab at least six months ago.
Also eligible for the jab are those living in residential care homes for older adults, all those aged 16 to 49 years old with underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk of severe COVID-19, and adult household contacts of immunosuppressed individuals.
Appointments can be quickly and conveniently booked via the NHS website or by phoning 119.
If you've received a text message from ‘NHSvaccine’ you can just click on the web link to the NHS website to make a booking.
Devon calls for more child and parent foster carers
There’s a shortage of specialist ‘child and parent’ foster carers in Devon, working alongside birth parents to help them develop their parenting skills and keeping them together as a family. ‘Child and parent’ fostering involves placing a baby or child and one or both parents with specialist foster carers so they receive consistent support and guidance in a safe family environment. It enables the birth parent(s) and child to stay together, increasing the likelihood of bonding in those crucial early months together. And it also allows the parents to stay in their local area, maintain and develop links with local networks and offers them stability while they develop their parenting skills.
To families like Helen’s, it’s a service that she describes as ‘priceless’. Read Helen’s story here.
Record number of Devon children to receive free school meal holiday vouchers for October half term
We’re sending families of nearly 18,000 children in Devon free supermarket vouchers this October half term as we continue our commitment to tackling holiday hunger. The vouchers, worth £15 per child per week, are automatically being sent to families of children currently receiving free school meals to help them buy food during the holiday.
Over the past year, we have invested nearly £3.5 million on providing over 100,000 supermarket vouchers for families who qualify for free school meals so their children don’t go hungry over the school holidays.
If you know of a family who could benefit, the quickest and easiest way for their eligibility to be assessed is through our website and they will get an instant decision. Alternatively, they can contact our education helpline on 0345 155 1019.
More detailed information about the free school meals holiday voucher scheme is available on our website.
You can listen to Duncan’s advice in full on our YouTube channel.
Duncan's got sound advice in this video message
Duncan is a carer. He lives in Devon. He's a carer for his wife and daughter and he's been double vaccinated against coronavirus. He's a superb care ambassador for Devon Carers, and a brilliant talker.
"I'm double jabbed, and the reason I'm double jabbed is because, as a carer, I'm the linchpin when it comes to looking after my family. Without me, it all falls apart.
"As somebody who's looking after someone else, if you're not there, they're going to suffer. That's why something like COVID-19 can have such a dramatic effect.
"People are sometimes concerned about adverse reactions or side effects of the vaccine, but the reality is there's so much more risk not having the jab than there is having it.
"I think that's what gets forgotten. You're important, you really, really matter.
"Now there's freedom, but also the knowledge that we're not going to get knocked out by this virus in the same way if we weren't vaccinated.
"It's so important, so please go out if you haven't done so already, get your jabs. If you haven't got your second one yet, go get it. Book it. Let's beat this together."
Communities benefit from £200k funding to help them reconnect, rebuild and recover
Community-led facilities and activities, like many things, were quickly suspended during the onset of the national coronavirus lockdown.
When life slowly started returning to some degree of normality we were keen to help local communities get back to doing the things they love safely and confidently, so we created a special fund to support them.
Over the last three months our Reconnect Rebuild Recover Community Fund has provided over £217,000 grant funding to 131 organisations across Devon to help local people to reconnect, rebuild and recover their community-led facilities and/or social activities.
The money is being used to support people to participate in activities that improve their physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing; provide safe community-led transportation links and services. This will encourage and help people to re-connect and re-socialise safely within their communities and encourage people to develop skills and learning through volunteering their time, knowledge and expertise to help and support the facilities and/or social activity and the people using them.
Now the fund is set to pause and applications will close at midday on Wednesday 27 October. You can find out more, including how to apply on our website.
New plans to boost bus services and cut fares in Devon
Cabinet is set to approve a £34 million bid to the government under its post-COVID-19 improvement programme, Bus Back Better. This plan will upgrade bus services and cut fares across Devon.
The improvement plan forms part of a major public consultation exercise to be launched in Devon in November. They aim to make buses cheaper to use, greener, more frequent, more reliable and they are being developed in partnership with Devon’s bus companies.
An additional £7.5 million could be spent on bus priority measures to speed up journey times in main urban areas like Exeter, Exmouth, Barnstaple and Newton Abbot and improving bus stops and other infrastructure in the rest of the county.
Improving opportunities for Devon communities
The coronavirus pandemic has had a huge impact on everyone’s lives and, for some people, has made them re-evaluate what they want to achieve in the future.
Learning and developing new skills is an integral part of Devon’s economic recovery, and it can help present new opportunities for people looking to take a different career path or progress in their current line of work.
With that in mind, we've been working with our adult education service, Learn Devon, to set up a network of 'wellbeing hubs' to enable people who want to return to learning, explore new interests, re-train and upskill to access a range of free face to face courses locally.
October is Sons and Daughter's month
October is Sons and Daughter's month, a national celebration of the vital contributions that the children of foster carers have on the lives of the foster children who enter their families. Every day children of foster carers across the UK welcome other children into their homes and their lives. They make young people in care feel safer, happier and more loved and ensure that they can thrive.
Fostering involves the whole family and we know without the contribution of sons and daughters, fostering wouldn't be as successful as it is.
We want to say a special thank you to all the young people across Devon who are #growingupfostering
Dartmoor Line services to resume for first time in half a century from 20 November
For the first time in nearly 50 years, regular passenger services will run on the Dartmoor Line, connecting Okehampton to Exeter.
Services will launch on Saturday 20 November, marking the first reopening under the government’s Restoring Your Railway programme which is exploring ways to return old lines and stations to service across the country.
Devon’s Climate Assembly shows the way to a net-zero future
The Devon Climate Assembly has developed and voted in support of a range of measures that, if implemented, would significantly cut carbon emissions across the county.
Call issued for interest in Green Innovation Fund
Local businesses are being asked to come forward with projects to drive green growth in Devon’s economy.
Our Economy Enterprise and Skills service is launching its Green Innovation Fund as part of its economic recovery programme. Expressions of interest are initially being sought before Monday 8 November.
Derelict land to be transformed to deliver new homes
Regeneration projects in Devon and Torbay have been awarded more than £8.4 million of government funding.
The Devon and Torbay One Public Estate Partnership has announced that it has received £7,056,470 of Brownfield Land Release Funding (BLRF), and £1,360,474 of Self and Custom Build Grant funding to help drive economic recovery.
Black History Month: Gospel Music Workshop
Our Devon County Council Equality Officer invites you to come and learn simple and singable harmony songs from the African Diaspora, including spirituals, gospel songs, and songs from South Africa. The history of the songs and the lineage of this music will be shared so the experience is enriching both musically and historically.
Members from Soul of the City Gospel Choir will support the singing and perform a short set of songs at the end of the event.
All voices very welcome! You don't need any prior singing experience - as they say in Zimbabwe:
"If you can walk you can dance, if you can talk you can sing!"
Saturday 16 October, 5.00pm to 7.00pm
Book: Numbers are limited due to social distancing, so booking is required via EventBrite.
Venue: Southernhay Church, Dix’s Field, Exeter, EX1 1QA
Black History Month: Special tour of Bill Douglas Cinema Museum
You are invited to a special tour of the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum, Prince of Wales Road, Exeter looking at the history of Black Cinema. The curator will give a guided tour which will include a journey through the participation of black people and their representation on screen, including some special exhibitions for the evening.
Monday 25 October, 6.00pm to 8.00pm
Book: Numbers are limited due to social distancing, so booking is required via EventBrite.
Venue: Bill Douglas Cinema Museum, Prince of Wales Road, Exeter EX4 4SB
More about Black History Month.
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.
|