COVID-19 – Coronavirus – stay safe!

15th April 2020

Updated April 15th 2020

Key messages

Updates in Gloucestershire

Around 66,000 items of PPE received over the weekend which are being distributed to settings across the county today. This is in addition to the 400,000 pieces received and distributed last week. Special schools and Trading Standards have also received supplies.
GCC are compiling a list of priority workers for testing at a drive-through facility in the county.
Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service will assist district councils and community groups with delivering food over the thresholds of people’s houses, where they are unable to do so.
County continues to benefit from coordinated response to covid-19 pandemic

Adult Social Care

From Monday 6 April the Adult Social Care teams will be operating seven days a week from 8 am to 8 pm.

The number of locality offices that staff are working from will be reduced as will the number of staff that will be working in the office. Staff will now work from two hubs, one in Shire Hall, Gloucester and the other in Redwood House, Stroud.

These hubs will have a small group of key staff working to triage referrals and decision making and will have additional support from other colleagues are working at home to undertake visits if necessary and telephone contact.

There are no changes to the referral route, all referrals should continue to me made via the Adult Help Desk 01452 426868.

National updates

Chancellor provides over £14 billion for our NHS and vital public services since the beginning of the crisis, including:

£6.6 billion of support to our health services
£1.6 billion for local authorities
£0.9 billion to cover extra measures such as food packages
£3.5 billion to ensure vital rail services continue

Coronavirus: personal protective equipment (PPE) plan – Cross-government UK-wide plan to ensure that critical PPE is delivered to those on the frontline responding to coronavirus.

Home Secretary outlines support for domestic abuse victims – Government has launched a new public awareness campaign highlighting that if anyone is at risk of, or experiencing, domestic abuse, they are still able leave and seek refuge. #YouAreNotAlone

Coronavirus: looking after people who lack mental capacity – Guidance for health and social care staff.

Guidance for stepdown of infection control precautions within hospitals and discharging COVID-19 patients from hospital to home or residential care

Awarding qualifications in summer 2020

School closures – Updated information on mental health issues, educational staff from overseas, primary school place offers for April 2020, exclusion and the governing board’s duty to reinstate excluded pupils.

Health Secretary launches biggest diagnostic lab network in British history to test for coronavirus

Covid-19 adoption support fund scheme to help vulnerable families – Up to £8 million in funding for adoptive families to meet needs arising from coronavirus outbreak

Your questions answered

Parish and town councils and community groups are being asked to support huge numbers of vulnerable residents, are there supplies of PPE for community volunteers?

The council’s public health team has issued new internal guidance on the use of PPE which follows the Government guidance released last week:

When should PPE be worn?
Employees should wear PPE in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic where there is the risk of exposure to someone with symptoms of COVID-19, and the likelihood of transmission because of the care or procedures they are having to carry out.

PPE is not required when risk is managed through social distancing (e.g. maintaining a distance of 2 metres) or by excluding possible or confirmed cases of COVID-19 from the setting (e.g. in schools). This includes most community and care settings where infection prevention and control good practice should apply, including cleaning of surfaces and rigorous handwashing.

PPE is required when it is necessary to provide care within 2 metres in a setting or within a household where someone is a possible or confirmed case of COVID-19 or when someone is shielding due to their own extreme vulnerability.

For community settings, including the voluntary sector, who may be involved in providing support for people who are shielding because they are extremely vulnerable (e.g. shopping or dropping off medication), following the principles of social distancing and guidance on effective handwashing is sufficient.

Local guidance for volunteers can be found here
The government has also issued advice on how to help others safely here