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Gloucestershire's Partnership Board Bulletin
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Welcome to the 15th 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.
Please note, all information is correct at time of publication. For the latest Coronavirus guidance, click here.
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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Coronavirus (COVID‑19) is spreading fast. Do not leave your home unless necessary.
1 in 3 people who have the virus have no symptoms, so you could be spreading it without knowing it.
National lockdown rules apply in England. Stay at home. Find out what the rules are in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Shielding has resumed in England. If you’re shielding, do not attend work, school, college or university. You can get support if you’re clinically extremely vulnerable, for example priority access to supermarket deliveries.
Remember - ‘Hands. Face. Space.’
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hands – wash your hands regularly and for at least 20 seconds
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face – wear a face covering in indoor settings where social distancing may be difficult, and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet
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space – stay 2 metres apart from people you do not live with where possible, or 1 metre with extra precautions in place (such as wearing face coverings)
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- Stay home - only leave for work (including voluntary or charitable services), essential shopping, exercise or medical appointments. You may also leave your home to seek medical assistance or avoid injury, illness or risk of harm (including domestic abuse)
- Exercise allowed outdoors once a day, in your local area. You can exercise with your household, support bubble, or one other person (in which case you should stay 2m apart)
- Schools closed except for vulnerable pupils and children of critical workers. Universities are teaching online, with some course exceptions.
- No household mixing indoors or outdoors unless in your support bubble or childcare bubble
- Non-essential shops, leisure and entertainment venues are closed
- Pubs and restaurants closed, but takeaway food is permitted.
If you do leave home for a permitted reason, you should always stay local - unless it is necessary to go further. Stay local means stay in the village, town, or part of the city where you live.
If you are clinically extremely vulnerable you are advised to only go out for medical appointments, exercise or if it is essential. We recommend that you do not attend work
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All travel corridors to close and you must self-isolate after arriving in the UK, even if you have tested negative. Most people travelling to the UK from abroad need proof of a negative coronavirus (COVID-19) test result. You need to have taken the test in the 3 days before you travel. |
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Gloucestershire Health updates |
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Health and care leaders in Gloucestershire have praised GP surgery teams, community NHS services and volunteers following news that the vast majority of people in the over 80s priority group have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
COVID-19 vaccinations have also been carried out in nearly every older people’s care home, under the care of Gloucestershire GP practices.
The remaining homes will be visited in the near future.
In total, close to 60,000 people in the top priority groups have now been vaccinated in the county.
The NHS is confident that, pending vaccine supply, it is on track to meet the target of vaccinating the first four priority groups by the middle of February.
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If you're having a hard time, visit 'Be Well Gloucestershire'.
This new website is a mine of information and a local supported by the county’s NHS and care organisations aimed at promoting health and wellbeing support and information to help when those challenges become hard to deal with.
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SCAM ALERT: Please be aware when it’s your turn to receive the COVID-19 vaccine you will be contacted via your GP surgery or the NHS. The NHS will have all your relevant information and will not ask you to submit it. No payment will be requested.
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Gloucestershire County Council updates |
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Most services have stayed open but there are some slight changes to meet national guidelines and to keep people safe. Receptions will be available for pre-arranged urgent and unavoidable appointments and continue to stay closed to the public. Household Recycling Centres will continue to use pre-arranged bookings to limit the number of visitors to sites.
Weddings and civil ceremonies will only go ahead in exceptional circumstances with a maximum of 6 people in attendance. Birth and death registrations will go ahead by appointment with death registrations taking place over the phone.
Libraries will continue to offer click and collect services and public PC sessions for those with no access to technology. Opening hours will be changing to make sure your local library can continue to open safely. All changes to opening hour
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On Sunday 10 January 2021, Government announced that rapid, regular COVID-19 testing (Lateral flow Devices (LFD)) would be made available across England for critical workers (those who cannot work from home).
Gloucestershire piloted its first rapid testing facility, using Lateral flow Devices (LFD), in December 2020 at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester.
Taking learning from this, a new neighbourhood testing facility has opened (Wednesday 13 January) in Barton and Tredworth, Gloucester - an area where rates continue to be high.
These tests are for people without symptoms of COVID-19. If you have symptoms, self isolate and book a test through the national testing portal. For more information on this, click here.
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Other Gloucestershire updates |
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Camphill are opening their ‘The Opportunity TV’ Zoom sessions to anyone who would like to join. These sessions have been running every week through lockdown which has helped keep a lot of people going.
There are two sessions a day for people to join.
Sessions are an opportunity for people to have fun, make new friends and maybe learn something new from the sessions. People can just listen or engage as much as they like.
For more information, click here.
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The CPS would like to talk with people living with a disability, autism and/or sensory impairment, as well as family carers, to build an understanding of disability hate crime and the support available to tackle it. As well as sharing information, the CPS want to listen to you, to understand the impacts of crime on people in Gloucestershire and answer any questions that you may have.
The event is on 2 March from 10.30am. Please email advocacy@inclusion-glos.org to register your interest and get details on how to join the call!
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This is an exciting time to come and join the Independence Trust, supporting the residents of Stroud Locality. As a Bridge Builder CALMHS you would be responsible for building a robust, person-centred service, working in conjunction with our clients and their support network, supporting them to achieve positive outcomes within the community. Closing date for applications: 12.00pm on 3 February 2021. For more information, click here.
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Forwards updates
The Forwards Employment Service have continued to work with customers applying for and achieving paid employment positions and have added services to respond to the changing conditions we have all faced through Covid.
If you would like to refer anyone for help with looking for work or who is in work and struggling email the team here. You may also find useful activities on #GEMonline. Any one can access these sessions including service users or staff. More information can be found here.
Carers Employment Virtual Drop In
Contact Kirsten Smart via email or on 07825 024692 for more information.
Kick Start is the new innovative scheme being run by Gloucestershire County Council in partnership with DWP to create new 6-month job placements for young people, between the ages 16 to 24 years, who are currently on Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment. The aim of the job placements is to support the participants to develop the skills and experience they need to find work after completing the scheme.
For more information, click here. There’s a short video on YouTube here as well.
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