Coronavirus Updates

From 12 April:

• non-essential retail will be able to reopen
• personal care premises such as hairdressers and nail salons will be able to reopen
• public buildings such as libraries and community centres will be able to reopen
• outdoor hospitality venues will be able to reopen, with table service only
• most outdoor attractions including zoos, theme parks, and drive-in performances (such as cinemas and concerts) will be able to reopen
• some smaller outdoor events such as fetes, literary fairs, and fairgrounds will be able to take place
• indoor leisure and sports facilities will be able to reopen for individual exercise, or exercise with your household or support bubble
• all childcare and supervised activities will be allowed indoors (as well as outdoors) for all children. Parent and child groups can take place indoors (as well as outdoors) for up to 15 people (children under 5 will not be counted in this number)
• weddings, civil partnership ceremonies, wakes and other commemorative events will be able to take place for up to 15 people (anyone working is not included in this limit), including in indoor venues that are permitted to open or where an exemption applies. Wedding receptions can also take place for up to 15 people, but must take place outdoors, not including private gardens
• self-contained accommodation will be able to open for overnight stays in England with your household or support bubble
• you should continue to minimise the amount that you travel where possible
• care home residents will be able to nominate two named individuals for regular indoor visits (following a rapid lateral flow test)

Multiple Covid-19 testing options for Staffordshire residents here

Healthwatch Staffordshire is 8 today!

Happy Birthday to all our current and former Volunteers, Advisory Board Members and Staff that have been part of the Healthwatch Staffordshire journey to date.

Read more about Healthwatch Staffordshire’s journey here

If you are aged 50 and over and have not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19 and would like to be then contact the @NHS to arrange an appointment.

You can do this by either booking online here or call 119.

The Vaccine is currently available for 

• • • over 50 years
    • people at high risk from coronavirus (clinically extremely vulnerable)
    • people who live or work in care homes
    • health and social care workers
    • people with a condition that puts them at higher risk (clinically vulnerable)
    • people with a learning disability
    • people who are a main carer for someone at high risk from coronavirus

Adult carers fall into the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) priority group six. They are now eligible for the Covid vaccine

This group is the biggest group to be vaccinated and it will take the NHS several weeks to offer these eligible people the vaccine.  

Adult carers who are registered as a carer with their GP, the Department or Work & Pensions, Local Authority or a local carers organisation will be invited to book an appointment for their vaccination over the coming weeks.  Please wait to be invited for your vaccine and do not try and call your GP as doing so may prevent a patient getting through who needs urgent care.

Example of an unpaid carer requiring a vaccination therefore can be, but is not limited to: 

Someone who cares for a person who is within JCVI priority cohorts 1-6, provides close personal care or is the sole or primary carer.
• An adult family member or friend providing daily face-to-face care to a person who, because of their advanced age, requires support but is still living in their own home.
• A person caring for an adult with Down’s Syndrome.
• A parent/foster parent caring for a young person who is receiving Personal Independence Payments (PIP) because of a severe neuro-disability.
• Any adult providing supplementary unpaid care to an older person who is self-funding their own care package, for example through a domiciliary care agency.
• Two siblings who equally share and provide 24-hour care to an older person with dementia in addition to their own family and work commitments. If either sibling was to fall ill, the other would not be able to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the older person. Both siblings would be considered the primary carer.

The National Booking Service will provide a route for unpaid carers to book their vaccination at a vaccination centre or community pharmacy-led local vaccination service.

New enquiries to register as a carer can be made by speaking to your GP or local authority.  Registration is subject to eligibility checks through the statutory carers assessment or assignment of carer’s flag on the GP record, advice is also available from 119.

Young carers

At present, only the Pfizer BioNtech vaccine is authorised for use in those aged under 18 years old. Therefore, eligible 16- or 17-year-olds will need to access  COVID-19 vaccine deployment programme: unpaid carers (JCVI priority cohort 6) vaccination via their local GP vaccination service. Where necessary the GP team will support the young carer if there are issues in relation to consent which is consistent with current practice in relation to other treatments and immunisations.

Vaccinations will not be offered to individuals under the age of 16 unless they are clinically vulnerable to COVID and the clinical criteria for vaccination as stated by JCVI have been met.

Easy read and Large print guide if you need NHS help during the Covid-19 Lockdown here

For the latest Covid-19 information click here

Covid 19 Asymptomatic testing sites in Staffordshire click here

Local Government Association and LGComms webinar on vaccine communications

On Thursday, 22 January LGA held a webinar on vaccine communications in partnership with LGcomms.

Communications and engagement will be crucial to the successful rollout of COVID-19 vaccines.

As more vaccines continue to be delivered, this webinar looked at how councils and their partners can effectively communicate with all residents on programme.

Full details here

Healthwatch Staffordshire Update

During the current Coronavirus outbreak, Healthwatch Staffordshire staff are currently following guidance and operating from home locations. The Healthwatch Staffordshire service will continue to be provided.

To contact us, use the messaging facility on our website HERE

Email: enquiries@healthwatchstaffordshire.co.uk

Healthwatch Staffordshire

We’re an independent organisation set up to champion the views of patients and social care users in Staffordshire, with the goal of making services better and improving health and wellbeing. We want to hear about your views, needs and experiences to help Staffordshire get the best possible health and care.

Your views matter

The Long Term Plan sets out what the NHS wants to do better, including:

• Making it easier for people to access support closer to home and via technology
• Doing more to help people stay well
• Providing better support for people with cancer, mental health conditions, heart and lung diseases, long-term conditions, such as diabetes and arthritis, learning disabilities and autism, and for people as they get older and experience conditions such as dementia.

Your local NHS needs to hear from you about what it should do to make care better for your community.

Share your views and help make care better.