Coronavirus FAQs
Charity
Marie Curie Nurses
In this time of national emergency, our nurses and hospices are needed more than ever. We urgently need your support so our nurses can keep caring for dying people. https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/donate
Doctors Surgeries
This information is from Prescott Surgery.
The surgery is open for the collection of medication. If you are unable to come and collect your medication please ask one of the volunteers in your community to collect for you. In addition 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 restrictions regarding social gatherings, patients attending the collection points MUST attend on their own or only with a family member and MUST form a queue maintaining a distance of 2 metres 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. NHS England have instructed all GP surgeries not to issue more than one months’ supply to ensure that there are no drug shortages.
Please observe social distancing when collecting your medication.
For the very latest visit the Prescott Surgery website
Here are the arrangement for Prescott Surgery
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 invited for a face to face consultation you will be asked to wait in your car, telephone the surgery to announce your arrival informing the Receptionist of the make, model and colour of your car. When the clinician is ready to see you, you will be directed where to go. If you are asked to enter the building please observe social distancing at all times.
For the very latest visit the Prescott Surgery website
Financial Help
Post office Help Scheme: A new initiative introduced by the Post Office is being rolled out to banks. Anyone who cannot leave home may be able to ask a trusted friend or volunteer to withdraw cash at any Post Office using a single-use voucher. The Post Office scheme is being extended and offered to all banks, building societies and credit unions. If the bank allows it, someone can ask for a one-time barcode sent via text, email or post for a stipulated amount. A trusted friend or volunteer can exchange the voucher for the cash requested. Previously, only a named individual, such as a carer, could collect cash in this way on someone’s behalf. Now any trusted neighbour or volunteer can do so.
The idea of the Payout Now scheme is to allow people who are shielded or self-isolating, mainly elderly, to maintain access to cash without having to hand over a debit card and Pin to somebody else.
For more details please see BBC News and the Post Office website:
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.
General Advice
There are a lot of people in our community who want to offer their help. A group of volunteers have 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 advice
And this is an excellent UK government webpage titled Coronavirus – what you need to do – it has questions and answers about all sorts of things that affect us all
And for the very latest from the NHS
Advice for people with an existing lung condition
Keeping Fit
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.
Joe is holding LIVE PE lessons at 9am Monday to Friday on his YouTube channel for children of all ages.
Parish Council
The Cabinet Office has confirmed to NALC (National Association of Local Councils) that the local elections scheduled on 7 May will be postponed until May next year, with legislation brought forward shortly. The Electoral Commission wrote to the government on 12 March calling for elections to be delayed until the autumn. We will provide a further update when more information is available.
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 via government sources and the National Association of Local Councils (NALC). The Parish council will heed any relevant Government advice, which may include the cancellation, possibly at short notice, of parish council and parish meetings.
Self-isolation
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.
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:
- Establish a daily routine. Routines provide structure and purpose.
- Balance your weekly routine so you have a good mix of work (activities that have to
be done), rest and leisure. - 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.
- 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?
- Identify the triggers that make you feel low and look for ways to reduce or manage them.
- 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?
- Take care of yourself. Eat and drink healthily with plenty of fruit, vegetables and water to support your immune function and energy levels.
- 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.”
- 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.
- Keep in touch. Arrange to speak to someone most days on the phone, through social media, or over the garden fence.
Test you 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
Oswestry Borderland Tourism (on Facebook)
Follow Oswestry Borderland Tourism on Facebook for some artistic challenges.
Every few days they will pick one of our iconic locations/structures/landscapes or maybe even a person and add a couple of photos for inspiration. What they would love to see are paintings, drawings, prints, models, Lego structures, stories, poems, songs …. In fact, anything creative. They will share as many as possible on social media and maybe use them in their new tourism campaigns later in the year. No prizes, no podium, no age limits, just some fun.
Shopping
Spare are offering a home delivery service to customers who are most at risk to COVID-19.
Here’s a list of “vulnerable customers”, if you aren’t sure about this.
➡️ Aged over 70
➡️ Pregnant
➡️ Customers with a disability/special needs
➡️ Customers with long term health problems
➡️ Single parents self-isolating with children
If you fall into one of these groups please call them on 01939 261187 to arrange a delivery.
Deliveries are new to Spar, and they are a small store, with limited staff, so please bear with them as they get to grips with this new service.
Moor Farm have decided to open until 9pm each night to assist with people needing to shop after long shifts and those who are struggling to make it out in the day. They have plenty of stock of the basics like flour, sugar, pasta, rice etc also lots of fruit and vegetables. Please contact them if you would like to order anything or have anything delivered. (Tel: 01939 262632,www.moorfarmshop.co.uk
Staying Healthy
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:
- Establish a daily routine. Routines provide structure and purpose.
- Balance your weekly routine so you have a good mix of work (activities that have to
be done), rest and leisure. - 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.
- 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?
- Identify the triggers that make you feel low and look for ways to reduce or manage them.
- 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?
- Take care of yourself. Eat and drink healthily with plenty of fruit, vegetables and water to support your immune function and energy levels.
- 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.”
- 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.
- Keep in touch. Arrange to speak to someone most days on the phone, through social media, or over the garden fence.