| Coronavirus Update – Changes To Our Service and How You Can Help |
| Changes to our serviceThroughout these changing times, one thing which will never change is our commitment to keeping you safe. We want to reassure you that we’re still here to prevent crime, protect the public and help those in need. However to minimise the spread of the virus means that we have fewer team members in our contact centres as some people need to self-isolate. Our staff are helping out as much as they can from home, however it may take a little longer to get in touch, especially if you try to call us.How you can helpIt’s really important we keep our phone lines free so we can prioritise 999 emergencies and help those most in need. We’ve found that many of the calls we’re receivingcould be resolved online. This stops us from helping someone who really needs us right now. Help us so we can help you. For all non-emergencies we ask you to visit our website first. Here you can:Search for advice on a range of issuesReport crime such at theft, criminal damage or burglarySpeak to us on Live Chat between 8am to midnightYou’ll find that everything you can do over 101 you can do on the website and Live Chat. CoronavirusNo one ever said that these restrictions were going to be easy to follow. We understand it’s difficult but we all have a part to play in protecting each other by following the advice. We are enforcing the social distancing measures, which the majority of you are following. It’s a minority who are putting others at risk. Where we’ve had reports online of people not following the rules, we’ve used this information to target our patrols. As you’d expect our priority will always be to continue to respond to crime and prioritise the most serious of crimes. You can trust that we will use our powers to stop significant breaches when we can. Visit our coronavirus specific page to see how we’re supporting you through this health emergency and how to report anyone not following the guidelines. Keep following the government advice by staying at home and only going outside for essential food, health and work. Stay home, save lives, protect the NHS. If we help each other out, together we can get through this. West Midlands Police https://www.west-midlands.police.uk/ https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus |
Coronavirus Testing Expansion
The Government has announced the further expansion of access to coronavirus testing to help protect the most vulnerable.
Anyone in England with coronavirus symptoms, who either has to leave home to go to work or is aged 65 and over, will now also be able to get tested.
Tests are available across the country. They can be booked immediately.
People can register at the testing portal using this link (https://bit.ly/BookTesting). Full guidance on testing can be viewed here (https://bit.ly/TestingGuidance).
Foodbank Collection Box now in Tesco
There is now a way to donate non-perishable food within Dickens Heath which will be passed onto a local food bank within Solihull (Renewal, Lode Lane). Tesco Express, Dickens Heath have very kindly offered to act as a collection point for donations.
Borough Cllr Ken Hawkins will be collecting donations from Tesco each Wednesday. All donations will be very much appreciated.
Update on Adoption of Gorcott Lane Island
A complaint about the untidy appearance of the Gorcott Lane island prompted Councillor Alan Scholes to get in touch with developer Redrow, who still own it, to ask why they don’t seem keen for it to be adopted by SMBC. Redrow replied that the island is part of a small section of highway that had to remain in the control of the Consortium of Developers and SMBC while the village centre works were still to be completed. Now that Garden Squares is complete, there is no reason why Redrow cannot meet with SMBC to discuss the adoption. It is hoped that a meeting will be arranged to progress this once life gets back to normal.
Severn Trent works on Dickens Heath Rd
The Severn Trent works from outside Copperfield Court, towards Fishers Drive, have resulted in comments from residents that they have ‘butchered the road’ and the tarmac repair ‘looks awful’. Solihull MBC have confirmed that this is works in progress, and they will be back to complete the repair to a higher standard, though we’re not sure when.
Here 2 Help – additional advice and support during the pandemic
Solihull Council and the local voluntary sector have worked together to produce some additional information to help people through the current period.
Under the banner of Here 2 Help, the pages cover a range of topics such as – shielding for really vulnerable people, help with food – including food bank deliveries, money advice, how to stay well, how to stay safe and how to volunteer safely. There are lots of useful contact numbers for local people to use and share with family, friends and their local communities.
The Here 2 Help pages can be found at – https://www.solihull.gov.uk/Resident/socialservicesandhealth/Coronavirus/Here2H
Covid-19-Go-to-health-infoChair’s Review 2019/20
Good News about the Village Green
It is a difficult time for everyone, but the process whereby Solihull MBC have been advertising the disposal of the Village Green via a lease to the Parish Council has continued. And we are delighted to report that there have been no objections to the lease and so it can now be completed.
The Parish Council would like to thank everyone who played a part in the process, and look forward to taking responsibility for the Village Green and finally updating the Playground (once life returns to some sort of normality).
Advice from the Canal & River Trust on Coronavirus and the Use of Canal Towpaths
The Canal & River Trust continues to urge people to follow Government guidance to stay at home. If you do venture out, please remember that use of local canal towpaths should be strictly limited, keeping your distance from others and moored boats.
We appreciate the important role our canals play in urban areas – providing vital green space – however towpaths should be strictly for local use only during the coronavirus pandemic. People must follow social distancing measures at all times, taking extra care on narrow towpaths.
While the weather may make it seem tempting to go for a towpath walk, we want to remind people that public health officials have stressed the importance of staying at home, saying that the single most important action we can all take in fighting coronavirus is to stay at home in order to protect the NHS and save lives.
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/safety-on-our-waterways/coronavirus
Birmingham & Solihull GP Practices to open over Easter Weekend
| Birmingham and Solihull GP Practices To Open Over Easter Weekend |
| As part of the NHS-wide response to COVID-19 (Coronavirus), GP practices across Birmingham and Solihull will be open during Good Friday (10 April) and Easter Monday (13 April) – with many practices also providing access to primary care on Saturday (11 April) and Sunday (12 April). To access an appointment, patients will need to telephone their GP practice and should not just turn up. GP practices will be treating the bank holidays as ordinary working days to ensure health services are maintained across Birmingham and Solihull. Local pharmacies are also being asked to provide support, by opening from at least 2-5pm on Good Friday and Easter Monday, with many others continuing to open their doors on the Saturday and Sunday. There are over 300 pharmacies in Birmingham and Solihull and these can be accessed without breaking the rules of the current lockdown. Their trained pharmacists are on hand to provide the best clinical advice and over-the-counter treatments to safely manage unpleasant but minor illnesses. Dr Peter Ingham, a GP and Clinical Chair of NHS Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: “In this difficult time, people need to know that their GP practice is going to be there for them this Easter weekend. Birmingham and Solihull’s high street pharmacists will also be available too and using them this weekend for minor illnesses will save people time and reduce pressure on GPs. “We are all working hard to ensure patients have access to primary care services when they need them the most, and offering appointments this weekend, including the Good Friday and Easter Monday bank holidays, is a great way of supporting not only our patients but the wider NHS. People can also do their bit by first using pharmacists if they or a family member has a minor illness.” If you have symptoms of COVID-19 (a high temperature or a new, continuous cough), please continue to use NHS111 if required. To protect others, do not go to your GP practice, pharmacy or hospital. Please follow any recommended isolation period that can be found on the 111 website. Further information on healthcare options during the COVID-19 pandemic are available on NHS Birmingham and Solihull CCG’s website https://www.birminghamandsolihullccg.nhs.uk/your-health. People can also find the details of their local pharmacy https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-pharmacy/ |