NHS Kent and Medway CCG - Community Bulletin

Covid-19 vaccine update

Covid-19 vaccines services are running across Kent and Medway with more than 50 locations where people are being vaccinated.

As of 24th January 2021, 195,252 vaccines had been given in the county and thousands more are being delivered each day.

We are adding a weekly update to our website on Thursday afternoons. Read the latest

You’ll find links to our main vaccination page and frequently asked questions.

Please remember, you will be contacted when it is your time to get the vaccine.

Please do not phone GP surgeries, the CCG, or other NHS services with queries about when you will be able to get the vaccine.

Covid-19 vaccine scam alerts

Please watch out for fraudulent calls and text messages offering the Covid-19 vaccination

The fake text message (pictured above) takes you through to a bogus website that does appear to look like a genuine NHS site which asks for your banking details.

We would like to remind everyone the vaccine is only available from the NHS, there is no cost and eligible people will be contacted directly when it is their turn.

Please let friends and family know.

Could you be a plasma donor?

NHS Blood and Transplant is looking for anyone aged 17 years and older who has had Covid-19, particularly those who have been seriously ill and recovered, to donate blood plasma.

People from Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities are particularly encouraged to donate.

A new pop-up plasma donor centre has opened in Ashford and is based at County Square in Elwick Road.

You can find out more on the NHSBT website

New patient belongings drop off service at Medway Maritime Hospital

Medway Foundation Trust has launched a new service to enable patients to receive belongings from their loved ones while they are staying at Medway Maritime Hospital. Find out more

Read the full bulletin at >> http://bit.ly/3ri1Hdp

NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group

Win a Valentine's Breakfast in Bed Hamper at Upchurch’s Co-op - Raising Money for MIND

Upchurch’s Co-op is fundraising again for their chosen charity partner this year, MIND - the mental health and support charity.

Win a Valentine's Breakfast in Bed Hamper

To be collected upon winning.

Enter in store for £1 per raffle strip - Please ask a member of staff at the till.

Good luck 🤞🏼

Read more about MIND at: www.mind.org.uk

Thank you 

Sally - Upchurch’s Co-op

Swale Borough Council - Supporting Families Affected by the Coronavirus Pandemic

One hundred and ninety-seven families impacted by covid have received pre-packaged essential food boxes through Swale Borough Council’s covid winter support scheme.

The scheme is a partnership between the council, West Faversham Community Centre and Diversity House, who have processed and delivered a total of 398 food boxes to residents’ doors, supporting 707 people across the borough since its launch last month.

The boxes have been a helping hand to those who have had a change in their financial situation, received a positive covid test, are self-isolating following contact from the NHS Test and Trace system or experiencing a change of personal circumstances because of the pandemic.

Nine different pre-packaged essential food boxes including essentials such as pasta, soup, fruit, cereal, toilet roll and handwash, alongside vegetarian, Free-From, Afro-Caribbean, Eastern European, and Asian boxes to meet the various dietary, cultural and religious needs of local residents are available, and each box provides enough food for seven days.

Cllr Richard Palmer, cabinet member for community at the council, said:

“The winter support scheme is a new service that is in direct response to those who are suffering hardship because of the covid pandemic.

“So far we’ve delivered 355 pre-packaged essential food boxes to people who are struggling to feed their families.

“West Faversham Community Centre and Diversity House have been working hard to process applications and deliver boxes to people’s doors.

“We’re aiming to deliver a minimum of 2,000 boxes this winter, so I encourage anyone who has received a reduction in income, loss of employment, positive covid test result or other change in personal circumstance due to the pandemic to get in touch.

“Once your application is submitted, our community support team will carry out an assessment. If successful, an essential food box will be delivered to you within a couple of days.

“We know this has been a difficult year for people and we’re doing everything we can to help support families experiencing exceptional hardship this winter.”

For more information and to apply for the winter grant scheme visit: www.swale.gov.uk/cwgs

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible people must:

• have recently been made unemployed within the last two months and are still out of work
• have been furloughed and receiving less income
• have lost income because you cannot work from home
• are not already receiving support from Kent Support and Assistance Service (KSAS), local foodbanks or food support services
• are currently self-isolating because of a positive Covid-19 test or you’ve been contacted by NHS Test and Trace
• are currently receiving support from the Swale Borough Council self-isolation payments
• are leaving your home because of domestic abuse
• are currently living in temporary accommodation
• have recently been discharged from hospital.

Those not eligible include people who:

• are quarantining after travelling abroad (unless you test positive during the 14-day quarantine period)
• continue to receive full wages
• are self-isolating without a positive Covid-19 test result or without being contacted by NHS Test and Trace
• are already regularly receiving support from KSAS, local foodbanks or food support services.

Swale Borough Council

Hartlip Villagers Sew Scrubs for the NHS - Survey of PPE and Voluntary Action

After reading about the 750 sets of scrubs sewn for Medway Maritime Hospital last year by over 120 volunteers from Hartlip, my partner and I are conducting a national survey of PPE and voluntary action. We would very much like to hear about people's experience of making scrubs during the critical time in the Coronavirus pandemic when PPE was in very short supply.

We believe that the huge effort made by so many people at that time of crisis should not be forgotten and we want to record people’s involvement as widely as possible and we would like to contact those who took part in the work in Hartlip to take part in our survey.

Please take part in our ground-breaking survey of PPE and voluntary action

We think that this research is important and necessary to understand, appreciate and remember what happened and how the activities of ordinary people changed the game and saved people’s lives. While government dithered, thousands did what was necessary.

Share your experiences with us

We are interested in hearing about your experiences. Are you willing to take part in our survey? 

If so, please click on this link: https://kent.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/ppe-and-voluntary-action

We would appreciate receipt of completed surveys by Sunday 28th February 2021.

Ask your friends and colleagues to share their experiences too

Please circulate our invitation by whatever means is convenient - by Email or social media so that they have the opportunity to participate. We want to recognise all contributions and to make sure that no one is left out.

What else?

Your participation is entirely voluntary, and we will look after the information gathered safely and securely in accordance with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Your contributions will be aggregated with those of other participants and anonymised (so that what you say will not be attributed to you by name).

If you have any other questions, please Email Colin or Meta at: pperesearchno2@macace.net or: pperesearchno1@btinternet.com

Thank you

Colin Rochester and Meta Zimmeck

Making Miracles Charity - 60 Day Walk or Run Challenge

Making Miracles is the baby trauma and family bereavement care charity. 

💙 Supporting local charities 💗

❣️ Free specialist counselling (for the whole family)
❣️ Baby Memorial Garden
❣️ Memorial Bear
❣️ ‘The Baby’ our children's book

Website: www.makingmiracles.org.uk

After a tough year of fundraising our MM team - Kelly, Becci and Hayley have decided to try to raise some money and keep ourselves and our children active (and sane!) at the same time during the next few months.

So we have come up with 60 miles in 60 days
1st February to 1st April - 6 DAYS TO GO!

You can do this in memory of a baby or loved one, you can do this in celebration of a rainbow, you can do this because you appreciate what the charity does - or simply because you want to be more active! Anything goes with this and you can appeal to friends and family to do it too or sponsor your family.

Every day we will follow each other’s journies share pictures and progress on Facebook and Instagram and every family will get a certificate of participation.

Please please do get involved and SHARE far and wide so we can raise awareness of our services and some money towards them. Thank you so much!

For anyone that wants to sponsor the team our page is set up, you can set one up too or join us on ours if you’d like to at: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/KellyWells8

Who’s in?

1. You can either join us 

2. Make a donation
3. Support us by sharing our Facebook page - Making Miracles

For more information please contact: Hayley@makingmiracles.org.uk

Thank you

 

Hayley Spooner

Making Miracles

Swale Borough Council - One Step Closer to a New Local Plan

Councillors are being asked to approve Swale Borough Council’s draft local plan for 2022-2038.

The draft plan will be discussed at the upcoming cabinet meeting on Tuesday 26th January, and if approved, will go to a special council meeting on Wednesday 3rd February before being made available for public viewing next month.

The new local plan outlines how the council will meet the borough’s housing need, implement ambitious, energy-efficient housing policies and secure 30 per cent affordable housing in Swale.

Updated every five years, the draft local plan provides the clarity and certainty needed to protect Swale’s natural and historic assets and secure much needed funding for improved infrastructure.

Included in the draft plan is a transport strategy that outlines how the council plans to deliver a sustainable transport network for Swale that creates an attractive, green and vibrant borough. It will enable and encourage people to travel sustainably and actively, nurture healthy lifestyles, create less polluted places and upgrade the transport network to meet the borough’s needs.

Cllr Mike Baldock, cabinet member for planning at the council, said:

“This is an ambitious plan for us.

“We know that many people feel that local development of the borough is already excessive, however we are required to try to meet these government-imposed targets.

“Despite the current inadequacy of local infrastructure, low GP levels and under-investment in our communities, we hope that the proposed review of the local plan enables us to meet government targets as well as local demand.

“Our aim is to provide more affordable housing, housing for the elderly and the disabled, and greener, more environmentally friendly housing.

“Developers will be expected to deliver 30 per cent affordable housing on new developments on greenfield sites.

“We’ll be pushing for zero-carbon, energy-efficient housing options to meet the targets set out in our climate and ecological emergency action plan.

“We also plan to double the required 10 per cent biodiversity gain to 20 per cent which will ensure that any new developments will improve the biodiversity of our natural landscape.

“The transport strategy included in the plan will provide the clarity we need to reduce congestion along the A2 and A249 and apply for government funding to upgrade Brenley Corner.

“If the proposed draft plan is agreed, people will then have an opportunity to express their views on the soundness of the plan.”

The plan will be available for public viewing on the council’s website from Monday 8th February until Tuesday 23rd March 2021.

The meeting agenda and full report including proposed local plan can be viewed here

Swale Borough Council