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Gloucestershire's Partnership Board Bulletin
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Welcome to the 13th edition of our Partnership Board bulletin. We hope that you, your family and friends continue to keep safe and well.
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.
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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National Lockdown
On Thursday, 5 November, national restrictions came into force across England to help control the spread of Covid-19, to protect the NHS and to save lives.
There are exceptions to the restrictions relating to education, getting essential supplies and for medical needs, but the national restrictions mean residents should:
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Stay at home and work at home if they can;
- Minimise contact with others outside their household or support bubble
- Avoid travelling in or out of the county and reduce the number of journeys
- Understand and follow national guidance which is available on government websites
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Protect yourself
- Wash hands: Keep washing your hands regularly
- Cover face: Wear a face covering in enclosed spaces
- Make space: Stay at least 2 metres apart - or 1 metre with a face covering or other precautions
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If you need to self-isolate, you MUST stay inside your home until you’re no longer at risk of passing the virus on. That means:
- do not leave your home
- no trips to the shops
- no walks or exercising in the park
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To make Gloucestershire a more inclusive county and improve the lives of people with additional needs and disabilities, a survey has been launched to find out the mobility issues they face.
The travel survey is open until the new year and will be used to gather information about people’s experiences. It can be accessed here.
It can be completed by anyone in the county with additional needs, or someone on their behalf, and includes questions on what transport you use, what your experiences are and how improvements could be made.
It is hoped that any solutions identified will also lead to greater opportunities for disabled people, such as in employment. For more on this, click here.
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All care homes, and the families and friends of residents, have been written to outlining new guidance for care home visiting in the county.
An overview of the new plan is available here.
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At times like this, we all need to support each other to cope with the changes to our lifestyles we will have to make in order to delay the spread of COVID-19. The hub is a collaboration between all local councils, police and health services.
If you need help there might already be a group you can get in touch with, check on Your Circle (link below).
The community help hub has continued to run during the pandemic, although demand has dropped with pharmacies offering more deliveries and supermarkets and independent retailers making more delivery options available. The online and telephone hub options are however being promoted again with hours for the calls extended over the weekends.
A full list of county council service changes is available on the Covid-19 section of the county council website here.
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The COVID-19 intelligence data is here - where you can understand the direct and indirect impact of the virus on the population of Gloucestershire.
This year’s report from the Director of Public Health and Gloucestershire County Council’s Black Workers Network looks at the long-standing health inequalities faced by people of a Black, Asian and other minority ethnic (BAME) background in Gloucestershire and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report draws on local and national data and showcases some of the excellent work by individuals and organisations that is already underway to tackle race-based health inequalities in Gloucestershire. It makes eight practical recommendations for partners across the system to ensure that recovery plans capitalise on this opportunity for sustainable change. You can read the report here.
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Gloucestershire initiatives |
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Carers Rights Day happens in November every year. The theme for Carers Rights Day 2020 (Thursday 26 November) is 'Know Your Rights'
The Gloucestershire Carers Hub are supporting carers to understand their rights by holding sessions on themed days throughout the week. The full timetable is here.
Spaces on the groups are starting to fill up already, so if you are a carer book your place as soon as possible by contacting us on 0300 111 9000 or emailing here.
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The British Institute of Human Rights (BIHR) are offering a session, facilitated by Inclusion Gloucestershire, to disabled people in Gloucestershire.
The session is free, online and is on Tuesday 24th November from 10.00 – 11.30am. See the poster here for more information.
To register, contact Inclusion Gloucestershire here. You will be sent a Zoom invite and a link to a brief surveymonkey that BIHR ask people to complete before attending.
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Inclusion Gloucestershire have been working with the NHS, who asked them to talk to autistic people, people with learning disabilities and people who support them across the South West and find out how they would like to have their voices heard on health.
Here is the report (easy read available here) of what they found out or you can watch their video summary here. They are hoping to act on what they have found out and strengthen self-advocacy in the South West very soon. If you have any ideas - you can contact the team here.
Mental Health Experience Led Opportunities (MHELO) is a network of people in Gloucestershire with lived experience of mental ill health. We are affiliated to Inclusion Gloucestershire, and provide opportunities for people with lived experience of mental ill health to work together to have a voice and help improve mental health services and wellbeing in the county.
You can either complete the form here or online using survey monkey here.
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Shaping Gloucestershire's Employment Strategy
Vikki Walters (Strategic Lead for Inclusive Employment) is looking to bring together organisations who represent disabled and vulnerable people in Gloucestershire with specific reference to employability skills. This will be a strategic group working together to inform Gloucestershire's employment strategy and to help ensure that during a time where the labour market has become more competitive, no one is overlooked.
We are particularly interested to hear from those organisations who represent disabled people or people with health conditions, carers or young people with additional needs and those interested in employment.
The aim is to have the first meeting on Wednesday 16th December (PM) via MS Teams. The group can then meet again in January ready for when the Government launches their consultation for the new Green Paper on health and disability support (which we understand will be brought forward).
If you would like to be part of this group, email Ines Higgins.
Can you help?
Sara-Louise Ackrill is the founder of a Gloucestershire-based social impact company creating products and services for neurodivergent people. She is looking to put together a small group of people with lived experience of neurodiversity, to inform a support App and an adapted clothing range. Contact Sara-Louise to take part. Details of her projects are on her website here.
You might also be interested in...
Services are still open if you want to report domestic and sexual abuse and seek support. Being at home shouldn’t mean being at risk.
National Autistic Society's latest newsletter
November update from the Chronic Illness Inclusion Project including guides on remote access
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From 1st January 2021, it will be compulsory for all new and majorly refurbished public buildings to include at least one Changing Places (CP) toilet for disabled users.
This includes all public buildings and those open for public access such as “places of assembly, recreation and entertainment with a capacity for 350 or more people”. Shopping centres, supermarkets, cinemas, stadia and arts venues are just some of the buildings that will be required to include at least one Changing Places toilet.
Changing Places toilets are different to standard accessible toilets as they have extra features and more space to meet the needs of people who use them. To use the toilet in safety and comfort, many people need to be able to access a Changing Places, which have more space and the right equipment, including a height adjustable changing bench and a hoist. Click here to access information about Changing Places toilets currently in your area.
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