Coronavirus update 14 April 2022
|
|
A message from Cllr Kevin Guy, Leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council
Hello,
We have been working with our police colleagues for some time to bring a station back to Bath City Centre. I was delighted to join Avon and Somerset Police Chief Constable Sarah Crew,Avon and Somerset Police Crime Commissioner Mark Shelford and MP for Bath Wera Hobhouse, at the launch of the station yesterday.
The official opening follows a great deal of hard work that has been put in since a lease agreement was signed last year to ensure the successful co-location of the extended police enquiry service and the council’s housing, welfare, information and advice services at Lewis House in Manvers Street. I’m really pleased that working with the police we have together delivered a fully operational police station for residents because having a base for the Neighbourhood Police teams in Bath City Centre has long been called for.
Over the past month the council has been working very hard to support sponsor families who are opening their homes to Ukranian refugees fleeing the terrible war inflicted by Russia. Officers have so far inspected more than 50 properties, carried out welfare and suitability checks and, with partners, put in place emergency support for families to ensure things like access to school places and health services are ready.
Residents from 59 households across Bath & North East Somerset have offered to host families under the Homes for Ukraine scheme and my thanks go to them and everyone else who is working to make this happen.
Currently under Homes for Ukraine five adults and two children have arrived in our area and a further four adults and seven children are anticipated to arrive by the end of the Easter weekend. Over the coming weeks 83 more adults and an additional 50 children are expected to be granted visas and move to the district. I know our communities will provide a warm welcome.
The squeeze on household budgets is hitting everyone and for some this means a stark choice of having to choose between food or fuel. We want people to know about the support and advice that is out there, including the Welfare Support scheme for people who are on a low income and in financial hardship, Housing Benefit to help paying rent, and Council Tax Support which could reduce the amount you have to pay on your bill.
The websites livewell.bathnes.gov.uk and banesfoodfinder.org.uk/ have more information. The council is also working hard to develop a system to distribute funds such as the council tax rebate scheme announced by the government.
Finally, I want to thank one of our own highways engineers, Allan Sperring, who has clocked up a remarkable 50 years public service, having started working at the Clutton depot back in April 1972. Allan tells us he is not planning to hang up his hard hat just yet – half a century is a great achievement!
Enjoy the long Easter weekend
|
|
| We are no longer be publishing the Covid-19 update as the government moves to the next phase of managing the pandemic. However, you can find the latest Government data on coronavirus here. |
|
Current guidance for coronavirus
Free testing for Covid-19 has now ended for most people. However, you may still be able to get free rapid lateral flow tests if you work for the NHS or in social care, if you are going into hospital, or you’re at high risk of getting seriously ill from Covid-19.
From this month, care home residents, people aged 75+, and those with a weakened immune system aged 12+ will be invited to get a spring Covid-19 booster. The NHS will contact you and invite you to book your spring booster when it’s due.
Covid-19 is still with us, so it's important we all consider how we can continue stay safe and help prevent the spread of coronavirus. |
|
Vaccination clinics coming up
There's still time to grab your first, second or booster doses at the following upcoming clinics:
Bath City Football Club, Twerton
- Wednesday 4 May, 11am-6pm
- Wednesday 18 May, 11am-6pm
Keynsham Scout Hut, Ashton Way, Keynsham, BS31 2UF
- Thursday 14 April, 10am-6pm
- Thursday 21 April, 10am-6pm
All these clinics will offer
- First and second doses for people aged over 12 years old
- Boosters for people aged 16 years old and over, plus at-risk children aged over 12 years old
- Spring boosters for people aged 75 years old and over, plus people aged over 12 years old with a weakened immune system
- Additional primary doses for people with a severely weakened immune system aged over 12 years old
If you’ve had a positive Covid-19 test, you need to wait before getting any dose of the vaccine. You need to wait:
- 4 weeks, or 28 days if you're aged 18+ and or if you're an at risk 12-17 year old
- 12 weeks, or 84 days if you're aged 12-17
This starts from the date you had symptoms, or the date of the positive test if you did not have any symptoms.
If you or your child have had symptoms of COVID-19, but have not had a test, you should wait until your symptoms are better to get a COVID-19 vaccine. You can talk to a healthcare professional at the site about this.
You can book your vaccination appointment online; you need to be registered with a GP (or call 119) to book online. Or you can visit a vaccination walk-in clinic; no need to book or be registered with a GP. To find one near you, go to the NHS website.
If you need a translator, have difficulties communicating or hearing, or are a British Sign Language (BSL) user, use textphone 18001 119 or the NHS 119 BSL interpreter service |
|
Bath Racecourse clinics
Bath Racecourse are currently offering walk-ins to those 12 and over, please visit the NHS website for more details.
Over the bank holiday weekend Bath Racecourse Vaccination centre has the following revised opening hours:
Good Friday (15 April) 10am – 3pm
Saturday (16 April) 10am - 1pm
Sunday (17 April) 10am - 2pm
Bank holiday Monday (18 April) 10am - 12.30pm
If you are planning to attend a walk-in clinic, please check the 'grab a jab' website to make sure the site is open that day. |
|
Support for Ukrainian refugees and sponsor families
Bath & North East Somerset has welcomed its first refugees under the Government’s Homes for Ukraine (H4U) scheme with more families escaping the war due to arrive in the coming weeks. |
|
Council lettings success brings shops back into use
Strong demand for new properties in Bath from national and high-end independent retailers is spelling success for breathing new life into the city centre. |
|
Call for evidence to improve active travel in B&NES
All residents, businesses and organisations are being invited to submit evidence to Bath & North East Somerset’s citizens’ panel on active travel. |
|
Thank you to 170 volunteers at Great Avon River Pick
More than 120 bags of litter have been collected from the banks of the River Avon in Bath and North East Somerset by volunteers and local organisations. |
|
Green light for active travel schemes
Work to improve walking and cycling along two routes in Bath to encourage more active ways of travel will get under way this summer. |
|
Bath Society of Artists Annual Open Exhibition
The 117th Bath Society of Artists Annual Open Exhibition will open at the Victoria Art Gallery on 14 May and run until 2 July 2022. |
|
Helping to ease the cost-of-living crisis
With many people facing pressure on their household budgets as the cost of living rises, we're reminding residents about the welfare support that’s available. |
|
Council secures share of £5m for violent crime reduction initiatives in B&NES
Initiatives to help children and young people at risk of becoming involved in violent crime have been given a three-year funding boost from the Home Office. |
|
April is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month
Every 15 minutes somebody is diagnosed with bowel cancer in the UK. That's nearly 43,000 people every year. Early diagnosis for Bowel Cancer and any other type of cancer saves lives. Everyone aged 60-74, who's registered with a GP and lives in England, is automatically sent a bowel cancer screening kit every 2 years. The programme also includes 56 year olds. Visit the website to find out more about the symptoms and detection of this disease.
Join us in a new challenge run by Bowel Cancer UK and Step up for 30. It's simple, just get active every day and ask people to sponsor you. To take part, sign up here.
There’s plenty of opportunity to get talking about this too:
|
|
Keynsham Park Improvement Project survey
We're working with Keynsham Town Council to make improvements to Keynsham Memorial Park, Abbey Park and Chew Park, collectively known as Keynsham Park.
We have funds available to make initial improvements, but we also want to plan effectively for the future.
We want to hear your opinions to understand the main issues and investment priorities in these parks. Your responses to this survey will help us to build our improvement plan. |
|
Recycling & rubbish collections
Please help our crews by sorting your recycling to help speed up collections. Keep missed boxes out and we’ll get to them as soon as we can. Please be patient – our crews will get to you. Updates can be found here. |
|
Council meeting calendar
Do you want to know about decisions being taken by the council and have your say? Please follow this link to the council’s calendar of meetings. |
|
Latest Government guidance
|
|
Living safely with respiratory infections, including COVID-19
Guidance for living safely with respiratory infections, including coronavirus (COVID-19). |
|
People with symptoms of a respiratory infection including COVID-19
Guidance for people with symptoms of a respiratory infection including COVID-19, or a positive test result for COVID-19. |
|
Finding and choosing a private coronavirus (COVID-19) test provider
Guidance and information for anyone who needs to order a COVID-19 test from a private provider. |
|
Coronavirus (COVID-19): advice for UK visa applicants and temporary UK residents
Advice for visa customers and applicants in the UK, visa customers outside of the UK and British nationals overseas who need to apply for a passport affected by travel restrictions associated with coronavirus. |
|
Follow us online
You can follow us on twitter, facebook and instagram; subscribe to us on YouTube, read the latest releases on our newsroom and if you sign up on nextdoor we are there too.
For updates on our services visit our website. |
|
Employment and Skills Pod
Are you returning to work after a short or long break? Perhaps you are already in work and planning to change the direction of your career? The Employment & Skills Pod can help you find the right opportunities.
Call us now on 0300 247 0050 or email us on EmploymentSkills_Pod@bathnes.gov.uk. You can also find out more on the website. |
|
Live Well B&NES: information for all
A web-based resource providing information, signposting and support to residents in Bath & North East Somerset has launched.
Live Well B&NES provides a wealth of useful information, signposting and resources for families, including Ofsted registered childcare, children and young people with additional needs (our SEND Local Offer) and adults needing care or support to live independently.
Information, services and groups are regularly added to Live Well B&NES. If you work with, support, provide services or run groups for children and young people or for adults needing care or support (such as older people, adults with physical disabilities and/or sensory impairments, people living with mental ill health), and haven’t already registered - make sure you’re included! It’s free and takes less than five minutes to register.
Find out more:
https://livewell.bathnes.gov.uk/
www.facebook.com/livewellbathnes
www.instagram.com/Youth_Info_Bathnes |
|
Future Bright
Do you know someone who is in work and wants to take the next step in their career? Future Bright offers FREE careers coaching, support and access to training. Future Bright Careers Coaches work with local residents to develop the skills and confidence needed to improve their work and pay. Check out the Future Bright newsletter to read about those who have already benefitted from the project.
For more information go to www.futurebright.org.uk or give us a call 01225 395555. |
|
Specialised dementia groups in B&NES
Age UK Bath & North East Somerset are starting two new specialised Dementia Groups, which are now running weekly in Midsomer Norton & Bath.
These groups are a safe, fun environment for people to come for activities and friendship. Staff are trained in Maintenance Cognitive Behaviour Therapy which helps concentration, confidence, memory and wellbeing.
You can find out more here or call 01225 466135. |
|
Do you look after someone else?
If you support someone who has a disability, illness, mental health condition, addiction or who needs extra help as they grow older, Bath and North East Somerset Carers’ Centre is here for you.
Their friendly team will listen to any concerns you have, offer practical advice and access to free wellbeing activities to ensure you’re happy and healthy in your caring role. Contact our freephone support line: 0800 038 8885 or email us. We’re available 9am-1pm, every weekday.
Earlier this week it was Young Carers Action Day, a national awareness day raising awareness of children who provide care to someone in their family. The theme this year was about ‘tackling isolation’ ‒ read here for more information. |
|
Support available from the Community Wellbeing Hub
Anybody who is a resident of Bath and North East Somerset can benefit from support from the Community Wellbeing Hub, including those people who are isolating due to testing positive for Covid-19 or being in contact with someone who has Covid-19.
A collaboration between Bath & North East Somerset Council; HCRG Care Group; the 3SG; Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group; and other third sector organisation representatives. The team can offer a range of support services such as mental health, returning home from hospital, income, housing and benefits advice, emergency food, as well as lifestyle services for help with stopping smoking, getting active or losing weight.
To contact the Hub:
Phone: 0300 247 0050.
Email: cwhbanes@hcrgcaregroup.com
Website: http://communitywellbeinghub.co.uk
Text: 07870 868368
Opening hours: Monday–Friday, 9am until 5pm
If you need to contact the council about its services please ring Council Connect on 01225 394041 or email Council_connect@bathnes.gov.uk |
|
Domestic abuse
Southside provides help to people who live in Bath & North East Somerset who are at risk of domestic violence and abuse. The working hours are 9am-5pm Monday-Thursday, and 9am-4pm Fridays. Local support services can be found here. |
|
Sight loss support
Sight Support West of England provides emotional and practical support to help people adjust to living with sight loss. Since lockdown this has been either online or over the phone. Now following careful planning, some Covid-secure face-to-face support sessions are resuming on an appointment only basis.
Your Community Sight Loss Adviser will be available at Manvers Street Baptist Church, Bath on the first Wednesday each month and at Midsomer Norton Town Hall on the fourth Thursday each month.
To find out more, or make an appointment please call 0117 3224885 or email For more information on the full range of services visit www.sightsupportwest.org.uk
For more useful information visit the RNIB website: www.rnib.org.uk/ |
|
Local agencies and useful links
We have been working closely with local agencies and if you would like to find out more about their work please look on their website: RUH, Avon and Somerset Police, Curo, and Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire CCG.
- Public Health England updates a daily dashboard: https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/ It includes deaths that have occurred in all settings where there has been a positive Covid-19 test, including hospitals, care homes and the wider community.
- Latest information on coronavirus: www.gov.uk/coronavirus
NHS information on coronavirus: www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/ |
|
|
|
