Coronavirus: Doncaster Update
Introduction
My name is Dr Rupert Suckling and I am the Director of Public Health in Doncaster. I know that it is a very scary and uncertain time for everyone and to support you through this I wanted to keep you totally up to date with all the latest local information.
We will be sending out a Doncaster-specific COVID-19 update on a weekly basis for the foreseeable future, this is our first one.
 We can’t emphasise enough, how important it is to continue to follow the STAY AT HOME guidance and only go out to:
- shop for basic necessities;
- complete one form of exercise a day;
- for any medical need or to care for a vulnerable person; or
- for travelling to and from work, but only where this is absolutely necessary and the work cannot be completed from home.
If you go out, stay 2 metres (6ft) away from other people at all times
Please also visit our dedicated pages on the Doncaster Council website and social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter for further advice and information - https://www.facebook.com/CovidDoncaster and @CovidDoncaster A wealth of information can also be found on our website pages – Coronavirus (COVID-19)
We all have a part to play to #BreakTheChain.
Doncaster Community Hub is up and running!
As you may be aware a new Community Hub has been set up in response to the COVID-19 crisis, to ensure the most vulnerable people across the borough will be supported during the coming weeks.
The Hub has had a very busy first week dealing with 1934 calls from people across the Doncaster Community needing help with getting food, medicines or being pointed in the right direction to get the support they needed.
On the ground we’ve delivered 151 food parcels from central government, 205 paid for emergency food parcels and collected 113 vital prescriptions.
For further information about the Hub and who can access support through it please visit www.dncommunityhub.org.uk or call 01302 430300,
Suspensions to some council services
 Difficult but necessary decisions have had to be made to temporarily suspend some Doncaster Council services and activities. The suspensions have taken place to ensure the correct level of service is maintained for our most vulnerable residents.
These include pausing our green bin collections for the time being. However household waste and recycling bin collections remain unaffected.
We have also closed our libraries, cemeteries, parks and visitor attractions. Our schools closed to all pupils except for key workers’ children and children identified as needing more support by the council and the school.
You can see a full list of the services which have been suspended here
Please keep an eye out on social media for advice on Waste and Recycling over the coming weeks and please be reminded that Household Waste Recycling Centres are still closed.
Thank you for your understanding and patience during this time.
Social care super heroes wanted!
 Doncaster Social Care Academy has been launched to recruit people to various paid roles across the adult social care sector in response to the coronavirus crisis.
The Academy has had a fantastic response already but would love to hear from even more people who would be interested in helping to make a difference in a social care role.
We know that there are a number of local people who are not able to continue with their usual job and are currently out of work. The academy will provide meaningful employment to those people while supporting our social care sector.
Roles are available from carers to cooks and the academy will quickly match the skills and experience of candidates with the jobs available. If you or someone you know is interested in this opportunity then please get in touch. More information is available here Doncaster Social Care Academy
Have you completed the self-isolation form yet?
We’re encouraging people to complete the online self-isolating form – www.doncaster.gov.uk/self-isolation-form
This will help us to get to know the impact of Coronavirus on our local communities and to identify people who are self-isolating that might need our support.
Finance
The £5m Coronavirus action plan recently launched in Doncaster to help the most vulnerable includes a three month council tax holiday. Residents who take up this offer will be contacted at the end of the three month holiday (June) and will be issued with a new bill. The amount that is left owing will be collected over the remaining months of the year according to their instalment plan. If further assistance is required, based on financial circumstances at that time, this will also be considered. Anyone who thinks they need to access this support, can telephone 01302 734454 to discuss their circumstances.
St Leger Homes tenants will also be given a similar financial break with their rents. If you are a Council tenant struggling to pay your rent, and have heard phrases like ‘Rent Holiday,’ then please contact St Leger Homes on 01302 862862 and your local income management officer will be able to advise what help is in place.
There’s a Question and Answers section on the St Leger Homes website for more information about what help is available, and also what services are being delivered at the current time – https://www.stlegerhomes.co.uk/news/coronavirus-qas/. Please also note that St Leger Homes will only be undertaking urgent emergency repairs at this time, rather than non-urgent repairs.
And Finally….
Let’s get composting – great prizes to be won too!
A campaign has been launched to inspire more South Yorkshire residents to home compost their food and garden waste instead of throwing it away.
As Doncaster green bin collections have been paused for the time being, home composting is a great alternative as it is an inexpensive, natural process that transforms kitchen and garden waste into a free, valuable and nutrient-rich food for any garden.
Another plus, it’s a major boost for the environment too! Composting at home for just one year can save greenhouse gases equivalent to all the CO2 produced by a kettle for one year, or a washing machine for three months.
Competitions to promote home composting are being organised by the Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham (BDR) Waste Partnership and Renewi, the firm behind the award-winning waste treatment facility at Manvers.
With most children not at school for the foreseeable future, home composting is something they can do at home. The challenge for them is produce something creative to promote or explain composting. It can be a drawing, a story, a poem, a play, a vlog, an animation, building a model…or wherever their imagination takes them. There will be nine prizes available, one each for infants, junior and secondary age young people in each area. More details here – Creative Composting Challenge
There’s also a social media competition for adults with a chance to win a coveted hot compost bin worth £250 which super heats the contents and speeds up the composting process.
You can buy composters from most garden centres and hardware shops, although on-line only at the moment.
Details of the competitions and how to enter can be found on the BDR website at www.bdronline.co.uk
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