Coronavirus: new lockdown rules

Essential workers are able to get a rapid covid-19 test at various pharmacies across Shropshire if they are NOT showing any symptoms of covid-19

Yes with Longmynd Travel

If you are over 70 or in a vulnerable group and you need transport to a vaccine centre then Longmynd Travel can provide this free of charge. They have lots of drivers and vehicles willing and able.
Give Val a ring on 01743 861999

Yes with Shropshire Council

‼️FREE TRANSPORT TO VACCINATION APPOINTMENTS ‼️

➡️ If you or someone you know is worried about getting to their vaccination appointment, we can help

🚐 Residents who are without access to transport are now able to get FREE transport to their COVID-19 vaccination appointments.

✅ In order to get help, you must have had a letter inviting you for vaccination in Shropshire, and you must be unable to get there any other way. We will be able to provide transport to help you get to your appointment and back.

😷 All vehicles will have appropriate ventilation, with strict infection control measures in place to keep everyone safe.

➡️ Transport can be booked by calling our COVID-19 Helpline on 0345 678 9028 or via your local GP practice.

There are a lot of people in our community who want to offer their help. A group of volunteers formed something called ‘Ruyton XI Towns Friendly Help’ and they will help with:

• Picking up shopping
• Posting mail
• A friendly phone call
• Urgent supplies

Please call on the freephone number below to speak to one of our community volunteers. They will do their very best to help you – FOR FREE.

0800 014 6711

(You will not be charged for the service but you will have to pay for your own shopping, etc. The volunteers will not come into your home and will keep a safe distance as per government guidelines)

So if you need help or advice then please ask using the above phone number or any of the usual channels for our community, one of the local Facebook groups, Yoland’s email group, or using the contact form on the Parish Council website.

Follow this link for the very latest UK government rules and advice 

Shropshire Council have an excellent page full of information for the public and for businesses

And for the very latest from the NHS

Advice for people with an existing lung condition

Unpaid carers have now been recognised on the priority list for vaccination under priority 6 – Persons aged 16-64 years with underlying health conditions. Carers in receipt of carer allowance or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person, whose welfare is at risk if the carer becomes unwell, will be offered a vaccination.

We urge all unpaid carers to advise their GP practices that they are providing a caring role. This makes it easier for the practice to offer practical things to unpaid carers such as vaccinations and health checks

This information is from Prescott Surgery.

The surgery is open for the collection of medication. To help us to manage social distancing in our building please follow the one way system that we have put in place. If you are unable to come and collect your medication  we have set up medication collection points as follows:

Ruyton – Wednesday and Friday at 2.00 pm outside the flower shop

Nesscliffe – Thursday at 1.00 pm in the Village Hall car park

Bomere Heath – Friday at 11:30 am in the Village Hall car park

In order to comply with the Government guidance regarding social gatherings, patients attending the collection points MUST attend on their own or only with someone in your social ‘bubble’ and MUST form a queue maintaining a safe from the nearest person.

Please order your medication by phone (24 hour answerphone) or on line remembering that we need 2 working days in which to prepare your medication. Please state clearly if you wish your medication to be taken to one of the collection points or whether you will be collecting from the surgery. NHS England have instructed all GP surgeries not to issue more than one months’ supply to ensure that there are no drug shortages.

If you pay for your medication our preferred method of payment is by contactless card. Payment can be taken over the telephone.

For the very latest visit the Prescott Surgery website

Here are the arrangement for Prescott Surgery

ALL GP appointments are being booked as telephone calls in the first instance. The GP will either consult with you over the phone or via a video link. In exceptional circumstances, the GP may invite you to the surgery for a face to face consultation. If you are invited to come in and see a GP or Nurse please follow the instructions that they give you. You may wish to remain in the car until the GP or Nurse is ready to see you. In this case please phone reception on arrival (01939 260210) to advise us that you are here and remain in the car until invited to enter the building.

Nurse Appointments

We are providing dressings to patients who require them and will only invite you for a face to face appointment if you are not self-sufficient i.e. unable to apply the dressing yourself or unable to ask a family member to apply the dressing. We will NOT be undertaking the following with immediate effect:

Ear Irrigation; Health Checks: Travel Immunisation; Weight Management.

Blood Tests

We will continue to provide blood tests for the following:

INR monitoring; DMARDs monitoring; Cancer Drug monitoring.

We are now also providing routine blood tests if requested by a GP as part of a review or following a consultation.

We will require you to announce you arrival by phoning reception (01939 260210) and remain in the car until invited to enter the building and you will have your temperature taken before you enter the consulting room..

For the very latest visit the Prescott Surgery website

If you’re on a low income you may be entitled to a test and trace support payment of £500 if you:

1. Have been told to stay at home and self-isolate by the NHS Test and Trace service, either because you’ve tested positive for coronavirus or have recently been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, and
2. Are employed or self-employed, and
3. Are unable to work from home and will lose income as a result, and
4. Are currently receiving universal credit, working tax credit, income-based employment and support allowance, income-based jobseeker’s allowance, income support, housing benefit and/or pension credit.

You can apply for the Test and Trace Support Payment via Shropshire Council’s website. 

Support is available for vulnerable households in Shropshire in the form of grants of up to £250 (Winter Warmth Fund) and up to £500 (Winter Grant Fund) to help alleviate fuel poverty and the impacts of the ongoing public health emergency and where alternative sources of assistance may not be available.

For more information and an application form please email elizabeth.thain@shropshire-rcc.org.uk or call 01743 342167/ 07816 297795.

For more details please see BBC News and the Post Office website:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52229698

https://www.postoffice.co.uk/post-office-payout

Coronavirus – if you can’t top up your prepayment meter

Tell your supplier if you can’t get to a shop to top up because you’re ill with coronavirus or following guidance to ‘self-isolate’. You’ll find their contact details on their website or on your bill.

They’ll try to help you find other ways to keep your energy supply connected. For example:

let someone else top up for you
add funds to your account
send you a pre-loaded top-up card
You’ll need to pay back any credit your supplier gives you – ask them when and how you’ll need to do this.

If your meter is outside and it’s safe for you to get to it, it’s a good idea to leave it unlocked. This means someone else could top it up for you.

This information is from the Citizens Advice Bureau

Shropshire Council is reminding residents worried about the impact of coronavirus that support may be available to them to help with Council Tax payments and payment of their rent.

Shropshire Council financial assistance

Public Health England has launched the Better Health – Every Mind Matters campaign to support the nation’s mental wellbeing with the message that “when things aren’t so good out there, make inside feel better”. The campaign encourages people to create a free NHS-approved Mind Plan, and there are lots of other resources and advice available.

Shropshire Council and partners have produced a new mental health resource “Looking after your mental health during COVID-19”, which provides a summary of helpful resources and links to a range of practical tips, advice and support to help everyone through these uncertain times.

This advice comes from the Royal College of Occupational Therapists. They have created some top tips to support those who are undertaking social distancing to get through the next few weeks:

1. Establish a daily routine. Routines provide structure and purpose.
2. Balance your weekly routine so you have a good mix of work (activities that have to
   be done), rest and leisure.
3. Think about which regular activities that are most important to you. What are the important elements to these? Can you adapt them to carry out in the home? For example, instead of a class, following an online strength and balance routine.
4. Set daily goals to provide purpose and a sense of achievement. This might include working through that list of the things you keep meaning to do but never get round to?
5. Identify the triggers that make you feel low and look for ways to reduce or manage them.
6. Talk with family, friends and neighbours to help them understand how you feel and how they can help. Can they talk you through using apps on your mobile phone, for instance?
7. Take care of yourself. Eat and drink healthily with plenty of fruit, vegetables and water to support your immune function and energy levels.
8. Avoid staying still for too long. Exercise and regular movement will maintain fitness and strength. If you are working from home, take breaks and eat away from your “desk.”
9. Have a good sleep routine. If you are struggling, try avoiding tea and coffee in the late afternoon and evening, take a bath, using blackout curtains, listening to gentle music or deep breathing exercises.
10. Keep in touch. Arrange to speak to someone most days on the phone, through social media, or over the garden fence.

Unpaid carers have now been recognised on the priority list for vaccination under priority 6 – Persons aged 16-64 years with underlying health conditions. Carers in receipt of carer allowance or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person, whose welfare is at risk if the carer becomes unwell, will be offered a vaccination.

We urge all unpaid carers to advise their GP practices that they are providing a caring role. This makes it easier for the practice to offer practical things to unpaid carers such as vaccinations and health checks

Information and support for unpaid adult carers in Shropshire is now being delivered by the new Shropshire Carers team within Shropshire Council. Carers and professionals needing information or support can contact the team on 01743 341995 or email the Shropshire Carers inbox. People who call will be able to speak to a trained carer advisor.

Priority passes – Shropshire Council are issuing priority passes for unpaid carers to use while out on essential visits as part their caring role and require proof if they are stopped during their journey. Contact Margarete Davies, Carer Lead at Shropshire Council on 01743 255776 or email: Margarete.Davies@shropshire.gov.uk  for more information or to request a pass.

Details of more support and up to date information on a wide range of topics that may affect unpaid carers during this time are on Shropshire Choices website, which has a dedicated Coronavirus resource page with links to information specific for unpaid carers.

Use the link at the bottom of this FAQ to choose a workout from the NHS Fitness Studio’s range of online exercise videos.

Take your pick from 24 instructor-led videos across our aerobics exercise, strength and resistance, and pilates and yoga categories.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/nhs-fitness-studio/

Joe is holding LIVE PE lessons at 9am Monday to Friday on his YouTube channel for children of all ages.

The Parish Council organised, and is paying for, the Freephone number that you can use to get help. They worked with the co-ordinators of the volunteer group to set up and promote this service.

The Parish Council is monitoring Coronavirus (Covid-19) information from government sources, from the National Association of Local Councils (NALC), and from a variety of other sources both national and local. Anything that could be useful to our local residents and businesses will be shared.

The Parish council is following all Government advice, which includes holding meetings remotely until further notice, and completing risk assessments and Covid-19 measures for any parish council activities.

All meetings are currently held online using Zoom. Details of the meetings are published on notice boards, via email and social media.

Run out of ideas?
We’ve some ideas to nudge you into action.
The sofa is a false friend – doing some simple tasks around the house, or nudging yourself into action to try a new hobby will help you stay positive – especially with the bad weather forecast!

Set a really simple goal. Don’t expect too much of yourself.
(okay, writing a novel might be a bit ambitious!)
#fightthegloom

With thanks to our My Shrewsbury intern – the very marvellous Olivia Myers for this xx

🔍 Weekend activity: Scavenger hunt

You’ll be amazed what you can find around your home! See if you can find an item for every letter of the alphabet. If you get stuck, create an image of what that letter could be.

👀 Share your weird and wonderful findings with friends!

Joe is holding LIVE PE lessons at 9am Monday to Friday on his YouTube channel for children of all ages.

Here’s an idea from Beryl Daffern on the ‘For Love of Shrewsbury’ Facebook group. She suggests an idea for children and adults – write a diary each day because this is something, that is making history right here right now! We are all part of it, it will be interesting in years to come to see how we all dealt with it.

Check out this long list of stuff you can do at Chatterpack

This advice comes from the Royal College of Occupational Therapists. They have created some top tips to support those who are undertaking social distancing to get through the next few weeks:

1. Establish a daily routine. Routines provide structure and purpose.
2. Balance your weekly routine so you have a good mix of work (activities that have to
   be done), rest and leisure.
3. Think about which regular activities that are most important to you. What are the important elements to these? Can you adapt them to carry out in the home? For example, instead of a class, following an online strength and balance routine.
4. Set daily goals to provide purpose and a sense of achievement. This might include working through that list of the things you keep meaning to do but never get round to?
5. Identify the triggers that make you feel low and look for ways to reduce or manage them.
6. Talk with family, friends and neighbours to help them understand how you feel and how they can help. Can they talk you through using apps on your mobile phone, for instance?
7. Take care of yourself. Eat and drink healthily with plenty of fruit, vegetables and water to support your immune function and energy levels.
8. Avoid staying still for too long. Exercise and regular movement will maintain fitness and strength. If you are working from home, take breaks and eat away from your “desk.”
9. Have a good sleep routine. If you are struggling, try avoiding tea and coffee in the late afternoon and evening, take a bath, using blackout curtains, listening to gentle music or deep breathing exercises.
10. Keep in touch. Arrange to speak to someone most days on the phone, through social media, or over the garden fence.

Test your mind, memory and vocabulary with the word search puzzle app called Word Stacks. It’s available on Google Play and the Apple Store.

Play and exercise your brain with this incredibly addictive word game

Spread the love – residents in care home

Would you like to write or draw a picture for residents in our local care homes? ✏️ It would be so lovely for them to receive a letter or a picture through the post….who doesn’t like receiving something special to make them smile ❤️

If you would like to spread the love, then please do post your wonderful letters to:

Lymehurst Rest Home
112 Ellesmere Road
Shrewsbury
SY1 2QT

Or to:

The Mount House and Severn View
41-43 The Mount
Shrewsbury
SY3 8PP

If you would like a reply, please include a self address envelope ✉️

Huge thanks in advance for making someone’s day

The SPAR shop in Baschurch are offering a home delivery service with a huge range of items available for delivery within 30 to 60 minutes. You can place an order from your mobile – Download the Snappy Shopper app

Alternatively ring the shop on 01939 261187

For more details see the SPAR website

The Moor Farm delivery service is now a permanent service. Everyone is welcome to use this service, you do not have to be vulnerable or a key worker, all you have to do is give them a call, send them an email or Facebook message with your order and they will do our very best to get everything you require – even items they would not normally stock so please do ask.

Please contact them if you would like to order anything or have anything delivered. (Tel: 01939 262632, or visit their website at www.moorfarmshop.co.uk