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Gloucestershire's Partnership Board Bulletin
Welcome to the 4th edition of our Partnership Board bulletin. We hope that you, your family and friends continue to keep safe and well during this difficult and uncertain time.
This bulletin aims to offer support, provide guidance and update you on some of the work Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) and Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), as well as what local and national initiatives are doing to protect vulnerable adults. It's interactive, so make sure you click the pictures and links to get the most out of it.
An easy-read version of this update will be circulated next week.
Missed one of our bulletins?
All our bulletins can now be found on our new website, which you can find here.
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Our colleagues at Inclusion Gloucestershire have brought together lots of information to support people through this difficult time and hope that you find it useful! You can visit this page here.
On each page you will find a brief summary of the topic mentioned, as well as links to external services and resources.
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Have you got something to share?
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We would love to hear your feedback or contributions, so if you have anything which you want to share, or have a question to ask us, email us here.
If you were emailed this bulletin by someone else, and wish to receive it directly to your inbox, click here to subscribe.
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A new drive-through mobile testing unit (MTU) for coronavirus has been set up in Gloucestershire.
It will be running for five days, from Thursday 7 May until Monday 11 May inclusive, and will be based at Oxstall's Tennis Centre in Gloucester.
People with symptoms including key workers, people living with them or over-65s can attend the site, which is run by the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), to be tested.
The national criteria for testing have been expanded. For the full list of people who are eligible for a test and how to access this, please see here.
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The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has published weekly data looking at how society is coping during the Coronavirus pandemic and impact it is having. Key findings from responses of disabled adults are below.
- Almost half (45.1%) of disabled adults, compared with around a third (30.2%) of non-disabled adults, reported being very worried about the effect the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is having on their life. Nearly 9 in 10 disabled adults (86.3%) reported they are very worried or somewhat worried.
- Nearly two-thirds (64.8%) of disabled adults said COVID-19-related concerns were affecting their well-being.
- Disabled adults were significantly more likely than non-disabled adults to report spending too much time alone; around a third (35.0%) of disabled adults reported this compared to a fifth (19.9%) of non-disabled adults.
- Finding a way to stay in touch with friends and family remotely is the most popular action that is helping people cope while staying at home; however, spending time with members of their household was a less frequent form of coping for disabled (41.9%) than non-disabled adults (63.5%).
- Almost 8 in 10 (77.7%) disabled adults said they thought people were doing more to help others since the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Disabled adults are as active in supporting their communities as non-disabled adults; in the past seven days, a similar proportion of disabled (64.9%) and non-disabled adults (63.1%) said they had checked on neighbours who might need help at least once.
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This guidance is for care workers and personal assistants (but could also be a useful reference for family and other unpaid carers) who support adults with learning disabilities and autistic adults. The guidance will help care staff to keep people with learning disabilities and autistic people safe; support them to understand the changes they need to make during the Covid-19 outbreak; and protect their own wellbeing.
The guidance has useful information about the following areas with some easy read reference material:
- Protecting yourself and the person you care for (including links to guidance about PPE and maintaining good hygiene)
- If the person being cared for has symptoms of COVID-19
- Supporting the person through change
- Communication
- Social distancing
- Coping with bereavement
- Maintaining your own health and wellbeing
Click here to access the full guidance
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Urgent dental care
New NHS centres are being set up in Gloucester and Cheltenham, for patients who need urgent dental treatment while their own surgeries are closed due to coronavirus. To be assessed and referred, patients need to contact their own surgery or, out of hours, call NHS 111.
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This Deaf Awareness Week, GDA are sharing simple communication tips that will help you communicate more clearly with someone who is deaf, in particular someone who has lost their hearing, maybe through illness or age.
Deafness is often hidden and can have a devastating impact on a person’s physical and mental wellbeing. The underlying barriers faced include communication, access to information and a lack of deaf awareness in wider society. This leads to an increased risk of social isolation and an associated risk of developing poor mental health as deaf people are twice as likely to experience poor mental health compared to hearing people.
Take a look at the communication tips GDA have put together here.
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12th Big Health and Wellbeing Open Day Healthy Goody Bags
Due to COVID-19 (Coronavirus) restrictions, sadly we had to cancel this year's Big Health and Wellbeing Open Day, which was planned for Wednesday 20 May.
The Health Facilitation team has decided, as a gesture of goodwill and to lift people's spirits, to provide goody bags to our clients and patients with a learning disability who we are seeing and supporting in hospitals and the community at this time.
All goodies are printed with '12th Big Health and Wellbeing Open Day 2020', and the theme color this year is orange.
The bags will contain:
- Orange drawstring bag
- Water bottle
- Stress ball
- Pedometer
- Pen torch
The Health Facilitation Team will also be contacting key coordinators of the volunteers from Hartpury College, Dene Magna School, Inclusion Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire College as well as learning disability provider homes, special needs schools and GCC day center managers whose clients / service users would have attended the day.
The team will also be providing the 90 volunteers with their 'Big Health 2020 t-shirts. Contact has already been made with the team leaders.
Simon Shorrick, Strategic Health Facilitator of the Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust and coordinator of the event said: "On behalf of the planning group, I would like to convey my special thanks to the former 2gether Trust's Charitable Funding Committee for providing funding for the healthy goody bags again this year”.
“I would also like to thank the Big Health and Wellbeing planning group for their tireless work in this fantastic annual event, the Clinical Commissioning Group and Gloucestershire County Council for contributing towards the running of the event and Barnwood Trust for their charitable donation. We plan to use this funding towards next year’s Big Health and Wellbeing Open Day in May 2021.
"We believe distributing them to the vulnerable people who would have attended on the day will lift their spirits at this challenging time."
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MY HEALTH PASSPORT
My Health Passport is a new easy read ‘grab sheet’ that could accompany a person (any age, or disability) who requires reasonable adjustments to their health care when they go into hospital (or to any health appointment), whether the admission is: an emergency admission, or, a planned admission. The document is now available in an editable version.
This is a patient held record. Carers, family and patients should take the time when they are well to complete this in anticipation of going into hospital.
The primary purpose of the form is to provide specific and essential information to hospital staff with three types of information in a format that is quick and easy for hospital staff to access:
- Essential (RED)
- Important (AMBER)
- Preferable (GREEN)
This document can be used by the ambulance service, Disability care provider homes, supported accommodation, Acute and Community Hospitals and family carers.
This editable document is now available to download and edit here
Hard copies can be obtained from: Strategic Health Facilitation Team, Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, 0800 019 3346
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Local Gloucestershire Services |
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Have you been getting creative during lockdown? Do you fancy taking on a new weekly challenge? The #artshapecreativechallenge is underway. Providing you with a creative prompt each week, the rest is down to you. The prompts so far:
- Say 'hello' with a self portrait
- An imaginative window display
- Create a shape poem
- 2 metres of art
Get creative and join the challenge!
Keep watching Art Shape social media for news of brand new online art classes...coming soon!
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Artspace Cinderford have launched an exciting range of free online art tutorials which you can take part in from the comfort of your own home.
Tutorial 1: Bee Hotel Art
Tutorial 2: Natural Pigment - Earth Paints on Wood
Don't worry if you have missed one; the tutorial videos are available on the Facebook page so you can catch up when it suits you. Since lockdown began, the online art gallery has been up and running. If you would like to take part and be featured in their online art gallery, you can submit art in any medium; it is open to everyone!
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Forest of Dean Dementia Action Alliance
The overarching aim of the Forest of Dean District Dementia Action Alliance (FODD DAA) is to make sure that everyone in the district living with dementia is respected and enabled to continue to enjoy living their lives in their own community as well as possible for as long as possible.
The team have put together, with the support of the Dementia Education Training Strategy, a short film for anyone who may come into contact with someone living with dementia. It was originally created for the Forest of Dean District Council to coincide with the government parcel delivery, but it was considered to be really useful generally to anyone. You can watch this here.
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Neurology subgroup - Have your say!
A message from Dr Jean Waters, the Co-Chair of the Physical Disability & Sensory Impairment (PD&SI) Partnership Board
"Because neurological conditions, both congenital and acquired, are frequently under-represented when vulnerable people are being considered in relation to Covid 19. the PD&SI Partnership Board convened a subgroup of voluntary sector organisation representatives, statutory service representatives, commissioners and Board representation to discuss and take forward pertinent issues on a weekly basis during this crisis.
If you have any issues, problems and/or solutions that you might be happy to share with us, we are here for you. We can escalate anything that arises, as well as disseminate resources that you have found helpful and act as a conduit for a 2- way flow of information. Email us here and help us to help you."
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If you are a stroke survivor or a carer, you might be looking for support and advice. Talking and sharing with others who have been through a similar experience can help.
Join us for online peer support sessions to e-meet and chat with others. We will discuss various topics such as hidden effects of stroke, health and well-being, self-management and more.
Every Wednesday, 10am-11am on Zoom.
To receive an invite to the meeting email Michal.shalev@stroke.org.uk, or call 07506120 858.
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Love making music? Wondering how you can continue to join in with a vibrant music making community at home? The Music Works have the answer. Presenting The Music Works at Home! Access loads of free music making activities and tools from the comfort of your own home! This brand new The Music Works website features:
- Free Garageband music lessons
- Free piano timing app/game
- Free Beatbox/looping app
- Free body percussion activities
- Free daily singing warm ups
- Free synth apps
- Free guitar lessons
The Music Works have also produced a brand new song; a thank you to all frontline workers during the pandemic. The song is called 'Every Rainbow Drawn' and you can hear the demo on the website now. You also have the chance to get involved in the music video. So, if you are a performer, singer, musician, dancer or artist and would like to join in this collaborative project; you have until Monday 11 May to get in touch with The Music Works. Another exciting new feature for you; keep an eye on The Music Works Youtube channel as they have recently piloted the very first The Music Works radio show...!
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Are you looking for things to do at home at the moment that are inclusive and meet your access requirements? Then you could find your thing on You're Welcome Gloucestershire!
You're Welcome is an inclusive online directory and forum. It's the place to find social events, clubs, groups or places to visit. You can also get ideas on how to find support to access the things you want to do.
All listings for events or things to do include accessibility and inclusive practice information and contact details. Membership is free and includes personalised newsletters and access to our friendly forum. Visit their website to find out more.
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GCS is a well-established charity offering high quality and affordable counselling to the communities of Gloucestershire. They usually offer face to face, weekly counselling session of 50 minutes each at a range of venues across the county (including Gloucester, Cheltenham, Stroud, Tewkesbury, Cirencester). During Covid-19, they are offering both telephone and video-call counselling sessions.
They provide a safe, confidential space to talk to a skilled counsellor who will listen and help people understand how past experiences, worries about the future or lack of self-confidence may be affecting their lives. Counselling helps people reflect on how they respond to events and explore the ways they experience relationships with others.
People attend counselling for a wide range of reasons, including:
- suffering from anxiety, panic attacks or depression
- feeling confused and unable to cope or lacking confidence
- having difficulties within personal or family relationships
- experiencing any kind of loss, bereavement or trauma
- facing a problem which is hard to talk about or resolve
- experiencing stress or problems related to their work
You can self-refer via the website here.
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TiC+ are about to launch an anonymous, online, text chat and telephone 1-1 drop-in service for children and young people age 9-21 living in Gloucestershire. This will enable early access to mental health support during the current COVID crisis and beyond. This service will be both stand-alone as well as being a gateway into other services where a need for additional support is identified. The service is due to go live in June 2020. For further information, visit their website.
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Other useful links and updates |
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