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Gloucestershire's Partnership Board Bulletin
Welcome to the 7th 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.
Have you got something to share?
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.
All our previous bulletins can be found on our website here. For a directory of COVID-19 related resources, visit Inclusion Gloucestershire's dedicated webpage here.
If you were emailed this bulletin by someone else, or found it on social media, and wish to receive it directly to your email inbox next time, click here to subscribe.
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Council allocated extra £2.2m to support local test and trace service
The County Council has received £2.2 million from government to support the test and trace service in Gloucestershire and reduce the spread of Covid-19.
The extra funds totaling £2,221,773 will be used to further develop and support a tailored plan to manage local outbreaks.
The county council is working closely with the new NHS Test and Trace service, Public Health England, the NHS in Gloucestershire and local partners to build on the work which has already been done to respond to, and manage outbreaks of Covid-19 in the county.
The outbreak control plans will focus on identifying and containing potential outbreaks in areas such as workplaces, hospitals, care homes and schools where people come together in shared spaces.
Plans will make sure that appropriate testing capacity can be deployed quickly and effectively to identified locations to tackle and limit the spread of the virus.
In addition to the regional testing centre at Hempstead Meadow in Gloucester which offers around 700 tests a day, the mobile testing unit which is visiting sites around the county over the next few weeks, will add hundreds more.
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New Doorstep Delivery service from Glos Telecare brings more to the door!
Gloucestershire Telecare supports vulnerable residents in the county by providing discreet sensors that detect emergencies at home such as falls, fire and wandering. Many of the people using the service have either recently been discharged from hospital, or face risks while carrying out day-to-day activities. The equipment is normally provided following a face to face assessment, usually in the service user’s own home.
The need to minimise hospital admissions is greater than ever during the pandemic, and has meant the service has had to rapidly adopt a different way of working to ensure that equipment is available quickly. Protecting residents who may be shielding, and safeguarding staff from unnecessary contact added to the need to change the way the service operates.
The solution is the new ‘Doorstep Delivery’ service. Telecare Engineers leave self-install equipment on the doorstep along with easy to use guidelines. The team combine this with comprehensive phone support, including a pre-delivery explanation of the equipment, and a number to call should the service user encounter any problems.
For more information, visit the Telecare website.
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Help ‘Make Caring Visible’ and support our county’s carers
For this year's Carers Week (8 -14 June), the county council and the NHS in Gloucestershire wanted to recognise and raise awareness of the fantastic work carried out by informal carers across Gloucestershire.
A recent ‘Caring behind closed doors’ national report from Carers UK showed that carers are feeling the stresses related to their caring role more than ever as a result of Covid-19. Together with our health partners, the council is taking steps to address the concerns highlighted in the report, and strengthening the support we provide for carers.
This Carers Week we wanted to raise awareness of the challenges carers face and make sure that we are supporting our carers in Gloucestershire in all ways possible at this time.
- We have produced a new ‘carer aware’ badge which will be distributed by Gloucestershire Carers Hub for local carers to wear with pride. It’s one way of making sure that the people and businesses carers come into contact with are aware of the caring responsibilities they hold and can offer support. Hannah Gorf explains more here.
- Cllr Kathy Williams – cabinet member for adult social care delivery, Cllr Carole Allaway-Martin – cabinet member for adult social care commissioning, Margaret Willcox – executive director of adult social care and Kim Forey – director of integration, have issued an open letter to publicly thank carers in Gloucestershire for the important work they do.
- We want all carers to register with Gloucestershire Carers Hub so they can access the wealth of support available to them. This includes the Carers Emergency Scheme which builds on personal contingency planning and can mean that extra emergency support is available for them if they need it.
- We’re asking local businesses to become carer aware. Many carers juggle their caring role with work. The Employers for Carers platform is a one stop shop of information for carers and employers, which includes practical ways in which carers can get support at work.
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Future Me ambassadors needed!
There is an exciting opportunity for young people aged 16-25. Future Me Gloucestershire are now looking to recruit a team of ambassadors to help drive the development of Future Me forward and are advertising for a team of 8 Gloucestershire young people. The role will be paid and the hours flexible to work around education and employment.
The team are looking for young people from a diverse range of backgrounds & experience and they could be at school, college, university, unemployed or in a job.
You can find out more information by watching the video here.
The closing date for applications is 9am on Tuesday June 23rd 2020 with the shortlisting date planned for Thursday June 25th 2020.
Interviews are due to take place on July 9th & 10th 2020.
For more information or if you have any questions, please contact Lui Gazzard or via the social media channels.
Instagram - @futuremeglos
Twitter - @futuremeglos
Facebook - Future Me, Gloucestershire
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Learning Disability Week 2020
Learning Disability Week is an annual celebration of learning disabilities hosted by Mencap.
Many of us are feeling isolated during lockdown, but for people with a learning disability – who already experience high levels of loneliness and social isolation – not being able to see family and friends or maintain usual routines can be even worse.
This week we want to show the importance of friendships in tackling isolation, and explore some of the different ways that people with a learning disability can maintain friendships, join in with things and do things they enjoy during lockdown.
You can also check out the links below:
For more information on Learning Disability Week 2020, and details of how you can get involved, visit the Mencap website.
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Job opportunities at Forwards!
There are currently 2 Job Broker vacancies.
- One is a Job Broker for Cheltenham and North Cotswolds. You can find more information here.
- The other is for a Mental Health Job Broker who will help people with mental health issues across Gloucestershire. Forwards are looking for people ideally with either experience of working in the mental health and wellbeing field or people who have mental health lived experience. You can find more information here.
Both adverts close on 30 June at midnight.
For more information on Forwards, click here.
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A message from your Learning Disability Partnership Board
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Because there wasn't a a Learning Disability Partnership Board on Friday 12th June, Jan Marriott and Tim Heaven sent the Partnership Board members a message via video.
You can watch this, here.
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#ShareYourStory
As Gloucestershire County Council and Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group start to plan for Covid-19 recovery, we want to hear about your experiences of living life during COVID. So whether you have a physical disability, learning disability, mental health condition, sensory impairment, on the autistic spectrum, or are an unpaid carer, we want to hear from you!
We want to know who you are, where you are from in our county, how you have been coping in lockdown and the lessons learnt in this time to take with us to the ‘new normal’. The plan is to record sessions via Zoom (although this is flexible depending on your preferences/needs), and we will have some questions to help steer conversations. Sessions will last for no more than 10 minutes each.
If you’re willing to share your story and experiences of living in lockdown (either good or bad), please get in touch here for more information.
However, for those who don’t want to or who are unable to engage via email or zoom, please complete your survey here and capture your experiences, because your voice is important.
Why we want to hear from you:
- The County Council and NHS in Gloucestershire are listening to the experiences of people with lived experience.
- We will be recording people who volunteer via zoom and these interviews will be shared - or you can complete the survey.
- What is learnt will show commissioners what’s working well and what needs to change in future to support people who access health and social care.
- Raise awareness of those living with disabilities, mental health conditions and sensory impairments
- Provide a visual record for posterity because your voice is important
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Priority supermarket delivery slots are now available to blind and partially sighted people in England who need them
Priority supermarket deliveries announced for blind shoppers amid social distancing concerns
Blind and partially sighted people across England who have struggled to buy food since the lockdown are now able to access priority online shopping slots following campaigning by sight loss charities.
Changes to supermarket layouts, social distancing and limitations on online delivery slots have made it nearly impossible for blind and partially sighted people to shop without support. As a result, just half of blind and partially sighted people who shopped independently before lockdown are still doing so, according to the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). Because of this, one in five (21 per cent) are also being forced to ration food.
The priority shopping slots are now available through referral via RNIB’s Helpline and are intended for blind and partial sighted people who are unable to access food and have no local family or friends who can help them shop.
For more information, click here.
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Churn's Pocket Concerts
The Churn Project are running a series of Pocket Concerts via FaceBook. This week on Thursday 18th June at 7.30pm the wonderful Hannah Hughes will be singing for us. Hannah is a 6th former from Pates and a professional performer with two jazz bands. Please log in to see this exclusive performance raising funds for The Churn here.
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The Carers Gloucestershire Legacy Fund
New fund opening for applications on Monday 15th June - Bringing lasting benefit to adult carers in Gloucestershire
The Carers Gloucestershire Legacy Fund has been established to bring lasting benefit for adult carers in Gloucestershire. It will continue Carers Gloucestershire’s work by using the funds remaining following the charity’s closure to provide valuable support for carers in the county.
The Carers Gloucestershire Legacy Fund is an exciting opportunity to continue to support organisations, projects and carers who might otherwise go unfunded. Carers Gloucestershire have identified the following areas of need for carers within Gloucestershire and these will form the grant making priorities for the fund:
- Supporting periods of transition, in particular following end of life, or end of caring responsibilities or when carers move from being a young carer to an adult carer
- Improving the emotional well-being of the carer
- Improving carer confidence in dealing with long term conditions of those they care for
- Supporting carers to use assistive technologies
- The introduction of robust systems to provide high quality evidence of the impact of existing carer service
The first round of applications will open on the Carers Gloucestershire Legacy Fund page of our website on Monday 15th June and will close at 12 noon on Friday 31st July for decisions at the beginning of September. A second funding round will open in autumn with a November closing date.
More details and a link to the application form are available on the Carers Gloucestershire Legacy Fund page of the GCF website here.
On Monday 22nd June, GCF will be convening organisations supporting adult carers from across the Gloucestershire for the Carers Gloucestershire Funding Forum via Zoom. The Forum will offer an opportunity to hear more about the programme, meet our advisory panel and discuss the needs of adult carers and the issues they face in our county. Email Sarah Sharma to request a Zoom invitation and login details for the Funding Forum.
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Mental Health Support Advice & Support
Support for Adults
There is a range of advice and support to look after your mental health and emotional wellbeing during both the outbreak and the recovery period. For a more detailed list, click here. Below are some of the ways you support yourself.
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Access to trained online counsellors for adults and young people. ‘Qwell’ for adults will include self-care resources and access to trained online counsellors, and will be open to anyone experiencing issues with their emotional wellbeing, such as stress or anxiety. Qwell can be accessed here. Users must register under ‘Gloucestershire Adults’.
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Funded counselling sessions for adults whose mental health has been more severely affected by COVID-19, for example, by worsening existing mental health issues or because of a bereavement, and who wouldn’t normally be able to access counselling and pay for it themselves. Following a referral, individuals can access the service here and selecting the ‘Pre-Paid registration’ option at payment page. Individuals who don’t have internet access can call Gloucestershire Counselling Service on 01453 766310 and request a hard copy registration pack.
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Online mental health training and Psychological First Aid training for first responders and community volunteers to help them support people in the community who may be struggling with their mental health.
- For basic introduction to Mental Health for those with no prior experience. It will enable the trainee to understand some of the signs and symptoms of poor mental health and equip them with basic skills to respond to this. It is aimed at volunteers; however, it can be accessed by anyone. This can be found here.
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45 minute Psychological First Aid Training - an in depth training package equipping the trainee in how to deliver Psychological First Aid (PFA). PFA is the WHO recommended intervention used during crisis situations such as a global pandemic. PFA can be delivered remotely and provides a useful tool to support somebody experiencing emotional This training is aimed at professionals contacting/responding to individuals who may be vulnerable, however it can be accessed by anyone. This can be found here.
- For additional information on looking after your wellbeing, click here. Volunteer Emotional Support Sessions for volunteers responding within the community, who may have no access to emotional support for the role they are carrying out. In order to access these volunteers should get in touch with the organisation coordinating community response in their area.
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Children and Young People
There is a range of advice and support to look after your mental health and emotional wellbeing during both the outbreak and the recovery period. For a more detailed list, click here. Below are some of the ways you support yourself.
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An anonymous helpline for children and young people : Young people aged 11 to 18 living in Gloucestershire can now access free anonymous counselling from qualified counsellors via an online mental wellbeing platform. Kooth is designed for young people experiencing issues with their emotional wellbeing, such as anxiety, low mood or stress.
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Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS, formerly known as CYPS): provides specialist NHS mental health services for children and young people (and their families/carers) who are experiencing moderate to severe mental health difficulties, from birth to their 18th birthday. Find out more about the service here or call Acorn House on 01452 894300 with any enquiries.
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On Your Mind Glos: An NHS website to explore topics such as bullying, eating disorders and anxiety, and where you can go for more support.
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Chat Health: A confidential text messaging service for young people to get in touch with a healthcare professional for advice and support. Text 07507 333351.
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TIC+ : Phone, text or online counselling for young people aged 9 to 21. A parent support and advice line is also available online. Call 01594 372777, text 07520 634063 or visit here.
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Gloucestershire Self Harm Helpline : A safe, non-judgmental helpline for young people and adults who self harm, and their friends, families and carers. Call 0808 816 0606, text 07537 410 022 or webchat here.
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Childline : Online support, resources and phone counselling. Calls are free and won’t show up on a phone bill. Call 0800 1111 or visit here.
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