Hello Everyone

Where to get your next vaccine…

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What’s new nationally?

No more confirmatory PCR tests if you don’t have Covid-19 symptoms:

• If you don’t have Covid-19 symptoms, but test positive on a lateral flow test you no longer need to get a PCR test to confirm the infection. However, if you do have Covid-19 symptoms you are still required to take a PCR test. .
• From Monday 17 January, if you have tested positive for Covid-19 you can end your self-isolation after 5 full days, as long as you take lateral flow tests on day 5 and 6 & both these results come back negative
• You do need to register your positive lateral flow result by calling 119, using the NHS app, or via https://www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result
• If your day 6 result is positive, you will need to take another test on day 7, & so on until you receive TWO negative test results 24 hours apart
• Remember, it’s still required to take a PCR test if you have Covid-19 symptoms.

Local data update

• The weekly incidence rate has increased and is now at 1,594.4 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 residents (www.gov.uk data to 5th January 2022) (last week: 1,551.7)
• It is now rated as MAROON RED on the RAG rating scale
• 5,293 Covid-19 cases in Tower Hamlets in the latest 7-day period (www.gov.uk data to 5th January 2022) (last week: 5,151)
• 361 patients were in Barts hospital for Covid-19 and 29 were on ventilation (last week 241 patients were in hospital 23 were on ventilation)
• 8 new deaths were reported between 30th December – 5th January (www.gov.uk data to 4th January 2022) (4 deaths between 20th – 30th Dec)
• See the above image showing the number of patients (80%) in intensive care across North East London who haven’t been fully vaccinated

Things can feel very hard at times. Support is available for whatever you are going through, there is hope and you are not alone.

In London, there are a range of free resources, online tools, and helplines available to help you cope and stay mentally healthy. These sit alongside non-urgent NHS psychological treatments, such as talking therapies, if you need further professional support to help you cope with mental and emotional problems.

Helplines

Many of us might be feeling unsafe, vulnerable, alone or unable to cope with grief or loss. The following helplines are free and confidential:

Samaritans: 116 123
Whatever problems you are facing Samaritans are there to listen.

SHOUT: Text Shout to 85258
Text service for support with any mental health concern (it will not show up on your bill).

CRUSE: 0808 808 1677
Support and advice if you are grieving or dealing with bereavement and loss of a loved one.

Switchboard helpline: 0300 330 0630
The LGBT+ helpline is open daily from 10am-10pm.

Looking out for friends and colleagues
It might feel more difficult to mention to someone that you’re worried about them, but now more than ever we need to keep our connections strong.

If you’re worried about someone, The Samaritans has a range of resources to help get the conversation started.

This Weeks Activities

REMINDER – YOU CAN CHECK THE CCTH CALENDAR – 

If you want to know what activities are on each day at the centre then check out the CCTH Calendar – https://ccth.org.uk/new/calendar/?cid=mc-03c4653fb809aa02e303ae7a3bb5520a&month=9&yr=2021

Then email me tony@cth.org.uk to book your place.

Taking Control of Your Life will be hosting a workshop on “Creating Your Own Care Plans on 25^th January 2022 from 2pm to 3:30 pm over Zoom. 

Self-directed support is about giving people control of the support they receive and the life they lead. It provides a positive shift in power and decision making that enables people to have a voice, to be heard and be connected to each other and their communities.

This free workshop will feature:

This session will be delivered by a client who herself receives social care, and who has been writing her own care plan for the past six years. She finds there is a huge difference in quality when she writes the plan as opposed to when it is written by social services. Creating her Own Care Plan has been instrumental in her fight for receiving the right care she is entitled to.

At this workshop, she will be sharing her story and answering questions on how you can start writing your care plan. We will also be joined by Real Advocacy service who have over a decade of experience on supporting clients with securing care.

When and Where

 The event will take place on Zoom

 Date:  Tuesday, 25^th January 2022

 Time:  3:00pm – 3:30pm

 Zoom Link: will be provided when booking

To sign up for find out more, please do not hesitate to contact us on 07458 304616 or 07305811946 or email TCOYL@real.org.uk.

The Royal British Legion has recently published a report exploring the unique profile, needs, and experiences of members of the Armed Forces community who have unpaid caring responsibilities. Unpaid Carers in the Armed Forces community explores the needs of this under-researched section of the Armed Forces community and the impact of their caring responsibilities. When compared to carers in the general population, the carers who participated in our research are less likely to access support; less likely to have a recent carer’s assessment; and less likely to feel their role as a carer is valued by services they come into contact with. You can read either the full report or the executive summary online here.

I am writing to highlight the key findings from the report and to ask you to adopt the recommendations at your council. As a signatory to the Armed Forces Covenant, your local authority has a key role to play in supporting the Armed Forces community through all the challenges they may face; and I hope we can work together on this occasion to support unpaid carers in that community.

Key findings

 Our research, including a survey of 358 unpaid carers in the UK Armed Forces community, found that:

• Unpaid caring disproportionally affects the UK’s ex-Service community.
• This group are receiving half as much support as carers in the general population; only one in five received any support from their local authority in the last two years.

• Those caring for a veteran were even less likely to have received any support, and less than one in twenty had been able to take a break from caring in the last year.
• Only 11% of these carers had been asked whether they or someone they care for have served in the UK Armed Forces.
• The carers are less likely to have had a carer’s assessment or a review of their carer’s assessment in the past two years than non-Armed Forces carers were; only 17% compared to 27% of carers in the general population.

Recommendations  

• Local authorities in England should urgently act upon NHS England’s recommendation (page 13) to consider how carers from the Armed Forces community can be supported in local carers’ strategies.
• Local authorities should consider how to encourage carers in the Armed Forces community to access support and take up a carer’s assessment, which they are less likely to have and, if they are serving, may have to regularly repeat.
• Council services and local carers services should ask and record whether all patients and clients are a member of the Armed Forces community and if they have caring responsibilities. This would help these carers feel better understood and make them more aware of entitlements and support available to them.

Covid-19 in Tower Hamlets

Read the latest update on Covid-19 from our Director of Public Health, Dr Somen Banerjee, including changes to the wearing of face coverings in education settings, changes to confirmatory PCR tests following a positive lateral flow test and generally rates of Covid-19 in the borough.

Read the update >

In 2022 the Tower of London will be celebrating Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee by filling the moat with flowers to create a spectacular display.

From June to September the flower display will erupt into new colours and patterns creating a dramatic and engaging experience. Designed to attract pollinators, ‘Superbloom’ will bring a spectacular natural beauty to the urban space and introduce a new biodiverse habitat for wildlife. It will celebrate the value of nature for our wellbeing, giving people time to slow down, reflect and bask in the simple joy of flowers in bloom.

FIND OUT MORE

Volunteering Opportunities

Also here is information on the volunteering opportunities:

Volunteering is open to anyone 16 years old and over. There are 2 different roles available;

• Base Level – meet and greet visitors and ‘man’ the slide entrance into the Moat
• Within the moat – engaging with visitors on experience and interpretation content

No experience is required and training sessions will be offered from April. You can register your interest in volunteering here: Superbloom volunteering | Historic Royal Palaces (hrp.org.uk)

You can also get in touch with Alex with any questions, who is leading on the volunteering opportunities at: superbloomvolunteer@hrp.org.uk

job Opportunity

Assistant Community Producer, £27,702 (pro rata)
Closing Date: 25^th January

HRP is currently planning a large scale ‘Superbloom’ flower installation for the Tower moat in 2022. Alongside this exciting and unique moment in the Tower’s history, we are planning a pan-London communities project to engage local community groups in creating their own ‘superbloom’ with a focus on gardening for well-being.

The Communities Partnership Team is looking for an Assistant Community Producer, who will help to deliver high quality outcomes for community groups. The Assistant Community Producer will play a key role in liaising with community groups, freelancers and staff, coordinating events onsite and online and providing the level of administrative organisation that is so essential to the project’s success.

To find out more about the role and how to apply please visit: Assistant Community Producer – Historic Royal Palaces (tal.net)

Historic Royal Palaces is a registered charity (No 1068852), correspondence details, Hampton Court Palace, Surrey KT8 9AU Historic Royal Palaces Enterprises Ltd, a company registered in England (No 3418583) registered office Hampton Court Palace, Surrey KT8 9AU.

Did You Know we have a weekly Shared Reading Group?

How does it work?

A group of carers, one of them a trained Reader Leader, reads a great novel, short story or poem aloud. We stop and talk about what we have read. There is no need for carers to read aloud or speak – it’s fine to just listen. The idea is to create a space where people feel at ease.

Reading the literature aloud in real-time, means that everyone is involved in a shared, live experience. Carers are encouraged by the Reader Leader to respond personally, sharing feelings, thoughts and memories provoked by the reading.

Everyone experiences the text in their own way, but the literature provides a shared language that can help us to understand ourselves – and others – better.

It can even help with your ESOL needs.

If this is for you then email tony@ccth.org.uk

WALKING ALONE? REMEMBER THESE 10 TIPS

1) Plan Your Route

Make sure you plan your route ahead of time. If you are walking in an area you are not familiar with, this can help keep you from getting lost. You will be able to walk with confidence. If you do get lost, don’t wander aimlessly, find a gas station, supermarket, or fast-food restaurant where you can ask for directions.

2) Make Sure Someone Else Knows Your Plans

Don’t go out when it is dark without telling someone, even if you are just taking the dogs out for a walk around your neighborhood or walking home from a friend’s house nearby. It may seem paranoid, but in fact, knowing someone knows where you are can be reassuring and help you feel safe. If you fall and hurt yourself or run into trouble, and someone knows where you are, they can send help if you don’t arrive at your destination on time.

3) Always Carry Your Phone with You

Always carry your phone, but not for music or to make social calls as your walk. Your phone can be a lifeline if you see something suspicious or worse if something happens to you. Download a safety app on your phone, so you’ll be able to discreetly alert the authorities if you feel threatened or see something suspicious.

4) Avoid Suspicious People and Areas

Areas that are dark, deserted, or out-of-the-way, such as an alley or a parking lot, can be riskier than a well-lit area full of people. Stick to busy, lighted paths, to minimize the risks. Also, walk mainly in familiar places where you are known. That way, if you feel like a suspicious person is following you, you can always duck into a store you know or knock on a neighbor’s door. Avoid empty streets and pathways with thick shrubbery.

5) Keep Your Hands Free

Except for a flashlight and one of the items discussed below, keep your hands free. If you are carrying anything, put it all in one bag or backpack. This will make it easier for you to react if you notice someone following you. In a dangerous situation, carrying too many bags can keep you from moving as quickly as you can if your hands are free or if you only have one bag.

6) Carry a Non-Violent Deterrent

In addition to a flashlight, carry a non-violent deterrent such as a whistle, mace, or pepper spray. A whistle will help you alert others and call them to aid you if something is wrong. The loud noise may put off attackers, and they’ll move on to find someone else. Mace or pepper spray can give you enough time to evade a potential attacker, and in a pinch, a flashlight can be used as a weapon. Make sure you know how to use the mace or pepper spray to get its full effect.

7) Wear Reflective Clothing to Prevent Accidents

When it comes to personal safety, it’s not just about suspicious people. Areas with low visibility can be prone to accidents. Reflective clothing allows bikers and cars to see you as you walk along. A flashlight or headlight can also help drivers see you if there are dark stretches of road on your route.

8) Take a Self-Defense Class

When fighting off something as an assault, the element of surprise can work in your favor. If you regularly walk alone, take a self-defense class. You don’t have to become a black belt. In fact, it’s probably better to learn something like Krav Maga, which has been popular for self-defense. The idea is to disable your attacker enough for you to get to safety, and a class focused on self-defense will help give you those survival skills.

9) Remove Any Distractions

Keep your phone in your hand in case you need to hit the panic button on your safety app, but don’t let it distract you. When walking alone at night for exercise, music can be motivating and energizing but also distracting. You may not hear someone driving or walking up behind you. Avoid wearing headphones or talking on your phone as you walk.

10) Trust Your Gut

When walking alone at night, trust your gut. If you feel like an area or situation may be dangerous, don’t wait around to find out. Stop and scan your surroundings if you think someone is following you. If you are being followed, walk as quickly as you can to a well-lit public place. You can wait until you feel safe, or call a friend, a taxi, or an Uber to help you get safely get home at night.

Following these personal safety tips will help keep you stay safe when walking alone. Always be aware of where you are and alert to suspicious activity.

REMINDER TO CARERS

If you still need PPE for you and your loved one then Tower Hamlets are still providing PPE for Carers.

Collection and delivery is on Wednesday only from Mulberry Place, 5 Clove Crescent, E14 2BG. Carers can call or email Ayeda directly 0n 07366977103 or ayeda@ccth.org.uk to order.

Check out a new free course that has just been launched that focuses on carer wellbeing. It is called ‘Physical activity for health and wellbeing in the caring role’ and has been kindly endorsed by the Carers Trust. The course is 6 hours in length and learners can achieve a ‘badge’ on completion of the end quiz, and this can be added on a CV to evidence their learning/continuous professional development. We hope that it will be helpful to those working with carers, including carer centre staff, those supporting carers less formally and importantly carers themselves!

https://www.open.edu/openlearn/health-sports-psychology/physical-activity-health-and-wellbeing-the-caring-role/content-section-overview?active-tab=description-tab