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Welcome to the first edition of 2021.
I would like to start by saying this is a year of hope. We have entered yet another national lockdown and the most testing in terms of challenges on our hospitals and frontline workers and services.
If we can support each other to get through the next few weeks, things will start to ease, especially with the vaccine now being rolled out locally. The NHS will be contacting residents who fall into the priority groups over the coming weeks to book vaccine appointments (further information can be found here).
You must stay at home. This is the single most important action we can all take to protect the NHS and save lives. You must not leave your home unless necessary. Stay two metres apart from anyone not in your household or bubble.
I strongly urge anyone struggling to contact the local Peterborough Hub who are available to support you through the pandemic. Please contact the hub on 01733 747474.
For those struggling with mental health, please visit www.haypeterborough.co.uk. This website brings together everything in Peterborough that promotes positive mental health. From a friendly ‘how are you’, to activity groups and much more.
Finally, I understand that families continue to live in uncertain times and many are facing changes to their financial circumstances as a result. If you have not previously applied for Free School Meals, please visit the joint Cambridgeshire and Peterborough webpage to see if you meet the criteria and to apply online.
There is also the Winter Support Grant which provides food vouchers and other immediate needs including (but not limited to) other essential supplies and food, household energy and water bills, essential white goods such as fridges, microwaves and boiler servicing and repairs.
Please visit the council website for further information on criteria.
You can watch my recent vlog here.
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Clinically extremely vulnerable urged to shield and seek support if they need it
Residents across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough who have been identified by the NHS as clinically extremely vulnerable are being urged to shield once again, following the announcement by the Prime Minister of a further national lockdown.
Everyone is being asked to stay at home as much as possible and to only leave home if it is essential to do so.
However, people who are clinically extremely vulnerable and therefore at higher risk of severe illness from coronavirus are being urged to take extra steps.
They are being asked not to leave home to go to work, school, college or university, to limit the time they spend outside their home and only go out for medical appointments, exercise or for essential reasons.
Letters have been sent to all clinically vulnerable people from the Department for Health and Social Care informing them how to stay safe. People will also receive a follow-up letter from Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council with information on the support available in the local area.
Dr Liz Robin, Director of Public Health for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, is urging people who are clinically extremely vulnerable to stay at home as much as possible.
“We know how difficult it can be to reduce contact with others for a lengthy period. So, it is understandable that you may feel upset by the recent announcement to shield again. But please remember these measures are in place to reduce transmission of coronavirus and to protect you.
“Rates of the virus have been rising across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and we know that the new variant which is much easier to catch has been detected in the county. So it is really important that you stay at home as much as possible if you are clinically extremely vulnerable.
“There is light at the end of the tunnel, with the new vaccination programme being rolled out. But it will take time for this to reach enough people and have its full impact, so for now please remain at home as much as possible, where you are the safest.”
You can read the full guidance on shielding on the government website.
Help and support continues to be available to anyone who is self-isolating through the COVID-19 support hub.
People can use the hub to get help to access food and medicine and support with tasks such as dog walking and home maintenance. Wellbeing support is also available in the form of welfare calls and providing reassurance. The hub can also offer advice on financial and employment concerns and with signposting to local specialist support services.
Councillor Irene Walsh, Cabinet Member for Communities at Peterborough City Council said: “It has been a really tough nine months for many people and we know that the last thing they wanted was to have to shield once again.
“If you need help to be able to shield, please don't struggle in silence. We are here to help, so please get in touch. It may be just a phone call from a friendly voice once a week, or support in sourcing food items, we have a bank of people waiting to help.
“There is a tremendous amount of work taking place every day, by both the Peterborough hub and many voluntary and charitable organisations which is helping to keep our residents safe, well and connected at this most difficult time.”
In addition to the help offered by the support hub, people who are shielding can register with the National Registration Support Service to secure priority supermarket delivery slots. Registration will also enable community pharmacist to deliver any medicines direct to people’s homes.
If you have previously registered or have already secured priority supermarket delivery slots, you don’t need to re-register. But if you haven’t already done so, you can register online today.
To access the registration service, go to www.gov.uk/coronavirus-shielding-support
Contact details for the local hub:
The national NHS Volunteer Responders service is also still available and support can be accessed via their website link or by calling 0808 196 3646 (8am to 8pm, 7 days a week).
Be Kind fund still here to help CKH residents
Cross Keys Homes (CKH) is reminding all residents that the Be Kind find is still here to help. The housing association’s welfare fund is available to anyone living in a CKH home who needs some support to keep their family safe and well during the current lockdown.
CKH has been supporting residents with requests for food, home schooling materials, replacements for broken furniture and white goods, and much more since the first national lockdown began in April last year.
Residents can request support online at
www.crosskeyshomes.co.uk/be-kind
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Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on Monday 5 January, national lockdown rules apply in England.
You must stay at home. This is the single most important action we can all take to protect the NHS and save lives.
You must not leave your home unless necessary.
Stay two metres apart from anyone not in your household or bubble. For more information about the national lockdown, visit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home
There are three simple actions we must all do to keep on protecting each other:
- Wash hands – keep washing your hands regularly
- Cover face – wear a face covering in enclosed spaces
- Make space – stay at least two metres apart – or 1 metre with a face covering or other precautions.
 COVID-19 Vaccination scams
Peterborough residents are being warned to stay alert of new COVID-19 vaccine scams which request their personal data.
Find out more here.
Local Connections Fund
The Local Connections Fund is a new £4 million fund to help charities and community groups in England that are working to reduce loneliness by helping them build connections across their communities.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and The National Lottery Community Fund are investing £2 million each.
This will be used to fund hundreds of ‘microgrants’ between £300 and £2,500, so small, local organisations (with an annual income of £50,000 or less) can bring people and communities together.
Deadline for applications is 26 January 2021. Find out more and apply on The National Lottery Community Fund website.
Youth Mental Health Support Services in Peterborough
Youth Inspired have produced a useful poster outlining all the mental health services available for young people in Peterborough. Find out more about Youth Inspired on their facebook page.
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Dementia Support for carers
Are you a carer for someone with dementia?
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 Alzheimer’s Society are launching a new project to keep people out of hospital, support hospital discharge and to help ease the pressure on the NHS.
The new project offers intense dementia support to carers over a four week period. In the first week they will call you daily, reducing to three calls a week in the second week, and two calls a week in the third week. From week four this will reduce to a once weekly call.
They can also prepare carers/families for the person with dementia returning home from hospital. They can help you to understand dementia and put in place strategies for changes you may face.
In addition, they offer a 'moving on programme' designed to help people make the transition to residential care – looking at all aspects, including choosing a home, paying for care and what carers can do to make the transition easier.
They also offer specialist support groups, both virtually and over the telephone.
If you think you would benefit from any of this support, please contact Alzheimer’s Society on 01954 250322 or email cambridgeshiredementia@alzheimers.org.uk
Find out more on the Alzheimer's Society website.
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 Caring Together support for carers to attend COVID-19 vaccinations
Caring Together appreciate how important it is that people looking after a family member or friend get the coronavirus vaccination. They also know it can be very difficult for carers and those they care for to be able to go to appointments, for a range of reasons. This could be due to transport, needing someone to look after the person they care for or any other reason.
If you are a carer who has challenges attending your appointment to have your coronavirus vaccination please contact Caring Together on 0345 241 0954 or email them on hello@caringtogether.org
A form to request support is available from Caring Together.
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The NHS is well-used to delivering millions of vaccines a year, and is moving quickly to roll out this vaccine to those who need it, but it’s important that we remember this will be a marathon, not a sprint.
The large increase in cases hospitals are seeing and the emergence of a new variant of the virus shows that we cannot let our guard down now.
NHS staff are doing an incredible job to deliver what it is the largest vaccination programme in our history, at the same time as continuing to be there for everyone who needs care.
The public have an important part to play to help them do this:
- please don’t contact the NHS to seek a vaccine, they will contact you;
- when they do contact you, please attend your booked appointments;
- and please continue to follow all the guidance to control the virus and save lives.
 Domestic Abuse and COVID-19
This is a difficult and worrying time for everyone – but particularly so for adults and children living with domestic abuse, and the professionals working hard to support them. During the current coronavirus ‘stay at home’ situation one of the concerns is that there will be a further increase in reports of domestic abuse.
Anyone experiencing domestic abuse can call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or contact local specialist services.
Refuge support those living in Peterborough. Visit the Refuge website or call 07787 255 821. The Hestia charity also launched a campaign last year for victims of domestic abuse to access safe spaces at pharmacies across the UK to access specialist support and advice.
More information on these services and other support for those experiencing domestic abuse can be found on the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Partnership website.
Councillor Irene Walsh, Peterborough City Council Cabinet Member for Communities said:
“We want to make sure that despite the conditions people know that our support services are available for those that may need them. Please stay safe and contact specialist support services or the police if you are suffering any form of domestic abuse, sexual violence or coercive behaviour.”
If you are worried about a friend or neighbour please make sure they know where to access support and keep in telephone contact with them to make sure they are okay. In an emergency always contact the police on 999.
SafeLives, the UK-wide charity dedicated to ending domestic abuse, has some useful resources on domestic abuse and COVID-19 on its website, which is regularly updated.
Charities, volunteers and communities came together last month to ensure vulnerable families and older people were able to celebrate Christmas by providing hot Christmas dinners, food hampers, food parcels and Christmas presents.
One example includes Age UK Cambridgeshire and Peterborough delivering freshly cooked Christmas Day lunches to 42 vulnerable and isolated older people who were either recently discharged from hospital or under risk of admission.
This was a collaborative effort with Revd Carol Avery and her family cooking the hot meals at a community kitchen provided by Family Action, using discounted food and treats provided by Morrisons, hand delivered by volunteers from Age UK and funded by Peterborough City Council.
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We asked Revd Carol Avery to tell us more.
“It was really touching how everybody worked together and wanted to help. I was so grateful for the funding from the council, the generous use of the kitchen from Family Action, the very kind Age UK volunteers and the Stanground and Farcet Churches and Mary’s Child charity volunteers who also helped deliver meals at lunchtime on Christmas Day. As well as the Christmas lunch, we also handed out goodie bags with a mini Christmas pudding, pot of custard, mince pies, chocolates, a Christmas cracker, napkin and card as well as a ready meal for Boxing Day.”
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As well as the Christmas Day lunches, how else have you been helping the community?
“Many charities have been working over Christmas showing huge amounts of goodwill and kindness handing out a massive amount of food that had been donated. Arriving everyday would be biscuits, eggs, turkeys, sacks of vegetables, cakes and much more. Huge numbers of food hampers and parcels, baby food, duvets and mattresses, gas and electric payments, were handing out to vulnerable families and individuals who are self-isolating, suffering illness, suffering loss of a family
member, or struggling financially. Some identified through the Peterborough Hub and some identified by schools and members of the community.”
Should residents who are struggling request help?
“We hear from so many people upset to be in a position where they can’t provide food but it’s important for people to know that help is there for them and they should not be embarrassed to ask the Peterborough Hub or the local charities for help. And we don’t just help people who are struggling with the everyday essentials, anyone struggling with mental health and loneliness can contact us too.”
How can residents help support you?
“Firstly, I want to say thank you to people for their kindness. It’s important that residents know how many kind and caring people there are, and how much the donations we receive support the community. A majority of charities across the city are now short of food supplies and so we are appealing for donations, particularly fresh vegetables, tinned meats and fish and household items.”
People who need help and support or who can offer help and support should get in touch with the Peterborough Hub by calling 01733 747474 or visit
www.peterborough.gov.uk/coronavirus
Healthwatch survey about patients leaving hospital during COVID-19
Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Healthwatch Peterborough have published a report on the experiences of people leaving hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Their main findings were:
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- Around one in five patients were not told they would get support from health or social care after leaving hospital.
- Nearly two in three people were not given information about who to contact if they needed health advice or support after leaving hospital.
- Only one in five people were given information about voluntary sector support which could help them after they left hospital.
- Three in four people said they definitely felt prepared to leave hospital or felt prepared to leave to some extent.
- Some patients felt they did not have suitable equipment for use at home or knew how to use it correctly.
You can read the report here.
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Call out for people’s health and care experiences
Peterborough people are asked to keep sharing their experiences of using health
and care services as the third UK lockdown continues. Our local NHS and care teams are once again facing big pressure with rising COVID-19 numbers. Local health and care champions Healthwatch Peterborough want to hear how services are working in and around the city as part of its Because We All Care campaign.
People can tell them about:
- Getting the new COVID-19 vaccines
- How hospital and GP services are running
- Using pharmacies and dentists
- Care homes and home care services
All feedback is anonymised and shared with local NHS and care services to help
them continue to provide the right support to local people.
Share your views
Online at https://www.healthwatchpeterborough.co.uk/share-your-views
You can also call Healthwatch on 0330 355 1285, text your views on 0752 0635 176
or email enquiries@healthwatchcambspboro.co.uk
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Bereavement support
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Cruse Bereavement Care is offering virtual and telephone support to anyone struggling with the loss of someone close.
Please visit the website www.cruse.org.uk or call the national helpline on 0808 808 1677. Services are provided by a network of 5,000 trained volunteers and is confidential and free.
Cruse also offers support specifically for children and young people – please visit the website (hopeagain.org.uk) specifically for children and young people.
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 Peterborough Food Partnership joins network to tackle hunger
The current pandemic and the resulting lockdowns have left more and more people experiencing food poverty in the UK and to address these growing needs, Peterborough Council for Voluntary services (PCVS) set up the Peterborough Food Partnership (PFP) in April last year with the help of National Lottery funding and a generous 29K awarded by Peterborough City Council/DEFRA.
PFP is part of a national programme called Food Power and was previously the Food Poverty Forum which was a regular meeting held by PCVS to look at the issues surrounding food scarcity in the city. As the coronavirus pandemic hit, it quickly became apparent that numerous communities were beginning to feel pressure as the number of applications for funding for food began to rise suddenly.
 What was evident at the time was the fantastic continued and new work happening within the city around food distribution, and this was the perfect time for PFP to unite organisations to enable them to work together, avoiding duplication of effort, share information and resources and reduce costs.
Lauren Kendrick, Communities Development Coordinator at PCVS, celebrates all that PFP has achieved,
“The initial meeting was set up as a network, aiming to get food to those who were desperately in need as well as focus on the sustainable environmental aspect of food redistribution to ensure minimal food is wasted. A real sense of desire to work together was felt by all those involved, whether their organisation had always worked in food distribution or had set up quickly to fulfill a need. We brought together those working in hot food distribution like the City College, to those who had worked on the ground for a long time like Food4Nought and the Peterborough Foodbank. The forum enabled space for organisations to discuss the issues, gaps and needs of the city and consider how to best address them together. We created the partnership, utilising existing set ups and infrastructure across the city in a coordinated approach. Nine months later, we are now part of Food Power, which means we are recognised nationally as the alliance in Peterborough, another win for PFP!”
In the run up to Christmas, PFP held a number of open meetings about food provision around Christmas and Christmas day. This enabled partnership between new organisations who were able to fill the gaps arising from the pandemic in a coordinated and safe response, helping feed those in need during this momentous time.
PFP continues to hold open food meetings for all volunteers, organisations, businesses, education, religious and authority representatives to serve the needs of the city and currently exists of 13 local organisations.
The partnership benefits from the strength of working together as well as continuing to operate its own charitable purpose whether that be environmental, saving on food waste or welfare based – supporting those in need.
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