VE Day bank holiday
Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) marked the end of fighting against Germany in 1945, bringing the Second World War to a close. This year marks the 75th anniversary, and for the first time we will celebrate on Friday 8 May (rather than a Monday).
Although we won’t be able to celebrate the long VE Day bank holiday as we had planned, there are still loads of ways you can get involved from the safety of your homes.
If your community is doing something to celebrate in line with Government guidelines, please share your photos and stories with us.
  PPE Primary Care Hub update
The Manchester and Trafford Mutual Aid Hub is working to give all providers of out-of-hospital care access to the personal protective equipment (PPE) they need to protect themselves and those they care for. Many Council employees are working in the hub and it is receiving positive feedback from our partners, including primary care.
Towards the end of April, a huge milestone was passed by the Manchester and Trafford PPE Mutual Aid Hub. The hub was able to distribute its one millionth piece of PPE as it continues to support the most vulnerable residents throughout the coronavirus pandemic
Gordon Reid, Deputy Head of Primary Care, Manchester Health and Care Commissioning, said: “We’ve been really impressed with how well the hub is being run. It’s been really responsive to our most urgent needs and has been able to provide us with vital equipment to keep primary care in Manchester up and running. It’s a really efficient service and has managed to make what is quite a stressful situation not quite so overwhelming.
“We’re really grateful that the hub has been able to support us with our PPE requirements. It’s meant that we’ve been able to keep our practices running as normal while making sure staff are protected as well as possible.”
Mobile devices data use
All services are going through a period of unprecedented change and uncertainty, and now more than ever, ICT needs your support.
We know that working from home, or in different ways, presents new challenges for us all. In lots of cases, this means we are increasingly using our work phones, laptops and tablets every day for long periods of time.
That’s why it’s important we keep an eye on the amount of data we are using. The Council is charged £50 for every GB you go over the 2–4GB allowance on your device, and we have seen a dramatic increase from £5,000 to £45,000 in the excess mobile data charges we must pay since the start of lockdown. This amount of overspend is not sustainable and we must work together to decrease this amount as we plan to work from home for some time.
Now, more than ever, we’re asking you to be mindful of your data use, and use trusted Wi-Fi networks where possible. Similarly, we are asking that you stick to using video/conference calling platforms such as Google Hangouts. If you haven’t already, please stop using platforms such as PowWowNow. We have recorded 2,456 instances of this conference-calling platform being dialled, which alone has cost the Council almost £8,000.
More information can be found in the Working from Home pack.
Virtual meeting guidance
Many of us in the Council and our partner organisations, as well as users of our services, are now following the Government’s social-distancing guidance. Virtual meetings – with audio, video or both – are now the norm and are vital to keeping in touch and making sure our work can continue despite the lockdown.
The authorised Council systems for online chat and virtual meetings are Google Hangouts and Google Meet, and it is important to use these for internal meetings.
We recognise that our partners may have their own platforms, which we will have to use at times. This guidance aims to explain how to minimise data protection risks and sets out some ground rules for using these communication channels safely and securely.
Health and wellbeing: MCRactive
MCRactive have teamed up with We Love MCR to raise awareness of the nationwide 2.6 Challenge initiative, which started on 26 April 2020. They’re inviting all Mancunians to dream up an activity that involves the numbers 2 and 6 and complete it at home over the coming weekends.
It’s a great way to stay fit at home, have fun, and even get the kids involved. You can do anything, even something as simple as young Kenny’s 2.6 garden assault course. There are no rules – apart from the Gov guidelines on how to exercise safely during this time.
 Have a look at Kenny’s 2.6 garden assault course
Keep up to date with the latest information and news
We want to ensure you are informed and supported during this uncertain time. We aim to send regular communications to you, whether you are working from home or self-isolating.
Managers are to ensure they can contact all offline staff, and those who are absent, to check they have access to all the information and support they need.
Staff are strongly advised to:
Staff without intranet access can find the FAQs on a secure extra-net and the intranet.
Remember that Public Health England and the NHS are the primary sources for coronavirus news and updates.
If you have questions or concerns
In the first instance, you should speak to your line manager directly, as they are more familiar with your role and how your service is responding to this situation. If your manager is absent, please speak to another senior officer in your team or service.
The Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) is a 24/7 support service for all employees, as well as their partner and children living in the same household. The EAP offers high-quality support with immediate access to counselling, in addition to financial, legal, family and medical advice:
- Visit https://healthassuredeap.co.uk/ (username MCC, password EAP)
- Use the health e-Hub in your app store (username MCC, password EAP)
- A free confidential phone service is available 24/7. Call 0800 030 5182.
Communications feedback
If you have any ideas about improving our communications with you, please let us know.
Our aim is to ensure you have the important information you need, but we also recognise that some light-hearted content may help during this unusual time. This can be videos, photographs, work-from-home antics, and recognition stories of those out there keeping things moving.
Share with us your stories and let us know what you would like to read or see to help you work well.
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