Welcome to this edition of the RCVDA E-Newsletter!
In this edition:
How to be a good neighbour in Redcar & Cleveland
With many older and more vulnerable people in our community self-isolating due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, lots of people have been stepping forward wanting to help, demonstrating the community spirit in Redcar & Cleveland We have put together some tips for the best ways you can offer your support
You can donate your time
Be a good neighbour
- Connect and reach out to your immediate neighbours
- Swap phone numbers – a conversation may be a lifeline and will help people feel less lonely
- If there is a neighbourhood social media page you could help them connect with this
- Encourage others on your street to help
- Help your neighbour put together a contact list of useful numbers e.g. their personal emergency contacts, local advice lines, etc.
- Practical support such as picking up prescriptions, helping them with online shopping, walking their dog, etc.
Advice and Guidance
- Don’t enter people’s houses – stay on the doorstep and keep 2 metres apart!
- Be kind and courteous
- Respect everyone’s privacy, helping vulnerable people requires mutual trust e.g. don’t share any private information
- Follow infection control advice and social distancing – with coronavirus (COVID19) the situation is fast evolving so follow the latest advice from trusted sources e.g. Public Health England http://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/public-health-england)
- If you feel unwell with symptoms of coronavirus you should self-isolate. Guidance on this is available on the NHS website: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid19/
- Visit our website: www.rcvda.org.uk for regular updates
- Carry a mobile phone and let someone know where you are going
Coronavirus – Recruiting Volunteers and DBS Checking
We are encouraging local support groups to use a standardised approach to recruiting volunteers, to help make sure that everybody, both vulnerable people that need the help, and the volunteers themselves, are kept safe and clear on what the expectations of them are:
Tier 1 – Food Parcels and Wellbeing Packs Drop-Off Volunteers
These roles do not involve volunteers handling any money or having face-to-face contact with vulnerable people and therefore will not require an enhanced DBS check
Tier 2 – Shopping, Medication and Befriending Volunteers
These roles involve volunteers having face to face contact with vulnerable people, potentially handling money and having access to medication. These roles will require volunteers to have an Enhanced DBS check.
DBS Checks
RCVDA will arrange for a free DBS check to be carried out for Tier 2 volunteers where required, however to avoid delay, volunteers who already hold a DBS certificate (e.g. due to their existing day jobs or previous volunteer roles) should be prioritised as Tier 2 volunteers wherever possible.
In the current situation, the government have temporarily changed the requirements for presenting id when submitting a DBS application and RCVDA are in the process of making changes so that we will be able to continue to provide our DBS service whilst the current conditions continue.
Information from Healthwatch South Tees
Healthwatch Middlesbrough and Healthwatch Redcar & Cleveland staff are working from home to continue supporting our communities and our health and care services through these challenging times.
We are re launching Just Ask if you want help to find services to support your health and care needs. Tell us what has worked well and what your concerns are… We can raise awareness of issues and gaps in health and care services so they can better respond to local needs.
Get in touch:
Free phone 0800 989 0080
Email: healthwatchsouthtees@pcp.uk.net
We will continue to send out regular local updates and useful information via our Facebook pages, Twitter and Ebulletin. Visit our dedicated website pages for current news and please follow us to ensure our information is shared more widely.
Healthwatch Middlesbrough 
@HwMiddlesbrough
Healthwatch Redcar & Cleveland @HwRedcarClevela
www.healthwatchmiddlesbrough.co.uk or www.healthwatchredcarandcleveland.co.uk
Let us know if you’d like us to share information for your group or service across our networks. If you’re not signed up to our Ebulletin and would like to receive a copy, sign up by clicking on the above links to our websites or phone us.
Warm Wishes and Stay Safe from the Healthwatch South Tees Team.
KEEPING PEOPLE CONNECTED SERVICE
Support service for those who have or may have learning disability and/or autism.
Many people with learning disability and /or autism will become increasingly vulnerable during the current Covid-19 crisis. If you come across vulnerable people in Redcar and Cleveland, then please refer them to the new telephone support service:
KEEPING PEOPLE CONNECTED: Telephone: 01642 039000
The service is funded by the local CCG and aims to help people by keeping connected with them.
They will receive regular calls from specialist staff to access and support them with understanding, practical issues, and signposting where additional help is needed.
Simply ask the person to call us. If it is easier for them give them our e-mail connected@skillsforpeople.org.uk or it may be easier if you ask for permission to email us their details, we will then call/email/text, confirm consent and provide ongoing support.
Even if you are not sure if a person has a learning disability and/or autism but it’s clear they are feeling isolated and in need, refer them to our service.
We have a well-developed assessment process which will enable us to evaluate how safe a person is, what additional help they may need, and then to support them to access that help from existing community services and the voluntary sector.
Coronavirus Mental Health Response Fund (CMHRF) for voluntary sector mental health providers
The coronavirus pandemic means that more people, either with or without an existing mental health problem, are seeking support for their mental health.
We know that measures to limit virus spread are impacting negatively on people’s mental health, particularly those who depend on formal and informal networks to support their mental wellbeing.
Voluntary sector organisations who provide mental health services in communities across the country are well placed to offer this additional support, but need extra resources so expand their services, which are increasingly overstretched.
Thanks to £5m support from the Government, Mind is administering a £5m grant fund in partnership with other leading mental health providers in England.
From 16 April 2020 voluntary sector, mental health organisations in England can apply for grants to help them provide additional coronavirus support.
The National Survivor User Network (NSUN) will administer part of the fund to ensure that smaller community organisations who might not meet all the standard eligibility criteria can apply. Details are available on the NSUN website.
You can find out more about the fund and how to apply on both the Association of Mental Health Providers website and the Mind’s website.
VCS providers
Voluntary and community sector organisations have a vital role working alongside our NHS colleagues to support anyone who has a mental health problem.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, demand for mental health services is increasing.
To help VCS organisations based in England continue to provide mental health services – or provide additional support – you can apply for a Coronavirus Mental Health Response Fund (CMHRF) grant.
Thanks to £5m support from Government (the Department of Health and Social Care), grants of £20,000 or £50,000 are available for projects lasting up to 12 months.
On the behalf of mental health providers in England, Mind is administering the fund in partnership with the Mental Health Consortia (MHC), who represent the leading mental health organisations in England.
The National Survivor User Network (NSUN) will be administering part of the fund to support user-led organisations and smaller, un-constituted community organisations, who might not otherwise be eligible for a grant. Details will be available from Monday 20 April on the NSUN website.
You can find out more about the fund and how to apply on both the Association of Mental Health Providers website and the Mind’s website.
South Tees Reads Virtual Book Club
Do you need some escapism during the Lockdown? Maybe you want a deadly car chase through the streets of Venice, or a Martini with the one and only James Bond, or you may want to explore a different century entirely. If your answer to all these questions is a resounding yes. Then why not join our South Tees Reads Virtual Book Club facilitated by our resident bookworm Daniel Stubbings and discover whole new worlds. You will be able to join in the group chat either via videoconference or on the phone.
This monthly club will launch on Monday 1st June at 18:30 with The Familiars by Stacey Halls, which was a Richard and Judy Book Club Pick and a Sunday Times Bestseller. The book is a sweeping historical fiction that takes you to the very heart of the British Witch Trials.
The book is available this month as an e-loan from Middlesbrough Council and Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council library services (via BorrowBox). If you would like to buy a copy of the book, please do so from a local book.
To register your interest, please email southteesbookclub@middlesbrough.gov.uk
So why not come and see what all the fuss is about. Plus make some new friends at the same time.
County Durham Community Foundation Covid-19 Response Fund
County Durham Covid-19 Response Fund
As the Covid-19 pandemic hits, local groups are under serious pressure to help those worst affected. These groups, who make all the difference to the most vulnerable people in our communities, now need our help and your help to survive. Over £44 million pounds has been awarded already. Find out more at https://www.cdcf.org.uk/
Trinity Holistic Centre – Kindness Calls
