WSCC Meals on Wheels - Apetito service

WSCC Meals on Wheels Apetito

Bus Pass rule relaxed to help pensioners and vulnerable get to early morning Covid 19 appointments

Bus pass rules relaxed to help people get to early-morning COVID-19 vaccinations

 

Vaccination Update 21st January 21

COVID-19 vaccination briefing 21st Jan 21

Help for businesses during Covid 19

New Covid support schemes launched to help district businesses during lockdown

 

New Government schemes have been launched in the Chichester District to help businesses that have been affected by the current Coronavirus lockdown.

“A new top-up grant scheme is now live for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses that have been required to close during the current national restrictions, and a further scheme offers financial help to businesses that don’t meet the criteria for this grant but that are still impacted by the current coronavirus restrictions,” explains Councillor Peter Wilding, Cabinet Member for Finance at Chichester District Council.

“If you own a business in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors, and are required to close, I would urge you to visit our web pages as soon as you can to see whether you are eligible for two new schemes: the Closed Business Lockdown Payment, which is a one-off top up grant worth up to £9,000, and a support grant called the Local Restriction Grant (Closed Addendum: 5 January onwards). Details on the eligibility criteria and how to apply for these schemes is available at: https://www.chichester.gov.uk/covidbusinesssupport.

“We also want to make other types of businesses aware that support is available through the Additional Restrictions Grant scheme. This is for businesses that have not been required to close but are still being affected by the current national lockdown. You can find out more and apply here: https://www.chichester.gov.uk/covidbusinesssupport.

“In addition, a range of other business support schemes are still open to help district businesses that were affected by the second national lockdown in November 2020 and last year’s local tier restrictions. Businesses can find details on all the available Government schemes, and apply, at: https://www.chichester.gov.uk/covidbusinesssupport.

“Our teams are continuing to work incredibly hard to ensure that all grants are paid out to businesses as quickly as possible. They are also on hand to help businesses identify which scheme, or schemes, they can apply for.”

Chichester District Council is also still issuing its business recovery grants. More information can be found at www.chichester.gov.uk/covidrecoverygrants

Businesses are urged to sign up to the council’s eBiz newsletter at https://www.chichester.gov.uk/business  to receive updates on the support that is available to them, and notifications when support schemes open for applications.

 

Vaccination update 14th Jan 2021

West Sussex COVID-19 vaccination stakeholder briefing 140120

Vaccination programme update 12th Jan 2021

West Sussex COVID-19 vaccination stakeholder briefing 120120

District Despatch from Leader of CDC 13th Jan 2021

District Dispatch

Last week, along with some of my fellow councillors, I had the opportunity to meet with the Chief Executive Officer for the NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups across Sussex and those members of his team who are responsible for overseeing the COVID-19 vaccination programme in our area.

I know how anxious people are at the moment about accessing the vaccine as quickly as they can and so this was a great opportunity to ask some of the questions that you have been raising. I have to say, I came away from the meeting feeling very reassured and thankful for all of the work that is going on behind the scenes to keep us all safe. Following the meeting, our NHS colleagues also issued us with an update that we have forwarded onto our communities and have made available on our website, which can be found here: https://www.chichester.gov.uk/media/34565/COVID-19-vaccine-rollout-in-Chichester-District/pdf/Chichester_COVID-19_vaccination_briefing_-_080120_-_a.pdf

Some people believe that we are responsible for the roll out of the vaccine and where vaccination centres are located. This is not the case. Along with our partners, we have put forward sites for the NHS to consider. They have each been closely assessed and in the end local GPs have decided which locations would be most suitable. There has been quite a lot of false information and confusion on this point and so I thought it would be worth explaining this.

There are a number of ways the vaccine is being rolled out: GP-led vaccination services; hospital hubs; roving services and large vaccination centres. Last week, our local hospital hub at St Richard’s Hospital started vaccinating people over the age of 80 who are attending planned appointments, as well as frontline health and care staff. However, most people in the district will start to access their vaccination through a GP led vaccination service. Some of our residents in the North started to access this service through the Pulborough GP-led vaccination site last week, and this week the Selsey and Tangmere sites will start vaccinating people in the South of the district. In addition, the Riverbank Medical Surgery in Midhurst will provide a further centre for the residents in the North of the district in the coming weeks.

The way in which GP-led vaccination services are delivered has been agreed at a national level with each area typically allocated one GP-led site. We are very lucky in this area that we will have four GP-led vaccination sites, two that are in the north of the district and two that are in the south. This is to ensure that the vaccination can be given to as many people as quickly as possible.

It’s worth remembering, that up until recently, we only had the Pfizer vaccine, which has significant requirements in terms of movement and storage. This meant that vaccination centres had to be carefully chosen, so that the vaccines could be stored effectively and given to as many people as possible. Now that we have the Oxford vaccine, this will change things moving forward, and even more sites should be able to administer it. However, I would urge everyone to be patient. This is a really complex situation and is the biggest vaccination programme this country has ever seen. Our colleagues in the NHS are working really hard to rollout the vaccine as quickly as they can – and things are changing all of the time. At the end of last week, yet another vaccine ‘Moderna’ – was approved for use, which is great news. So, our role is to wait patiently to be contacted.

I know that for some people, it may be difficult to travel to their vaccine appointment and I want to reassure you that the NHS is looking at how these people can be supported. It is important to note that attending a vaccine appointment is an acceptable reason to leave the house during lockdown, including accepting a lift or accessing community transport.

The most important thing that we must all remember is not to contact our GP surgery about this. They will contact us when it is our time to receive the vaccine. Initially, this is being done by phone, but alternative arrangements will be made for anyone who is not able to speak on the telephone. There is also a clear priority list, to vaccinate those who are most vulnerable first.

For more information on the vaccination programme, you can visit: https://www.sussexhealthandcare.uk/keepsussexsafe/sussex-covid-19-vaccination-programme/faqs-about-the-covid-19-vaccine/ It’s also worth signing up for our email newsletter at www.chichester.gov.uk/newsalerts which provides you with the latest local updates in the district.

Our colleagues at the NHS have promised to meet with us regularly to update us on their progress, and so I will continue to keep you informed in the weeks ahead. I would also like to thank all of our NHS workers for everything they are doing for us and for all of their hard work on this vital vaccination programme. It is appreciated more than you will ever know.

Best Wishes

Cllr Eileen Lintill

Leader of Chichester District Council

Top tips for Businesses to survive ....and grow..... in 2021

Top tips for businesses to survive… and hopefully grow…. in 2021

 

Vaccination Briefing Chichester District 8th Jan 2021

Chichester COVID-19 vaccination briefing - 080120 (2)

Census Day - 21st March 2021

This census will be primarily on-line but help will be available, and paper copies for those who do not have access to the internet.