Coronavirus - Local & National Information

From the UK Government...

The latest official information and advice. Click here.

Guidance if you are at high risk from Coronavirus. Click here.

General Guidance on Mental Health and Wellbeing. Click here.

Government WhatsApp information service. Click here.

From the NHS...

General advice from the NHS. Click here.

Self-Isolation guidance for households with possible Coronavirus infection. Click here.

Guidance about dental treatment. Click here.

For speakers of other languages, Doctors of the World have translated the official NHS guidance. Click here.

Get information in British Sign Language (BSL) from Signhealth. Click here.

Easy Read information is also available. Click here.

NHS England has also produced an Easy Read guide on getting help from the NHS. Click here.

Guidance on finances, housing and benefits from Citizens Advice. Click here.

Free school meals guidance from the Department for Education. Click here.

Finding your local food bank – information from Trussell Trust. Click here.

Domestic abuse helpline from Refuge. Click here.

Mental Health and Wellbeing advice from Samaritans. Click here.

How to identify phone scams – advice from the Metropolitan Police. Click here.

Accessing Care during the crisis – webinar from In Control. Click here.

Government advice for pet and livestock owners. Click here.

Changes to local GP and hospital services – Harrow CCG. Click here.

Harrow Council Hardship Fund. Click here.

Restaurants offering free meals for the elderly. Click here.

Coronavirus – How you can help Harrow. Click here.

Information from Harrow Council. Click here.

Take the community survey by Voluntary Action Harrow. Click here.

Harrow Council Coronavirus Hotline: 020 8908 2698

Age UK Coronavirus Hotline: 020 8756 3040

Guidance and resources on the wellbeing of Children and Young People. Click here.

The NHS has made changes to local services, to help them deal with the Coronavirus pandemic. These temporary changes will help them to focus efforts and resources in the best way to tackle the Covid-19 outbreak.

Information about the changes is now available in various languages (see below).

Healthwatch Harrow can now refer people who they believe are vulnerable or are at higher risk of serious medical complications from COVID-19, to NHS Volunteer Responders.

NHS Volunteer Responders can provide support to people who need to shield because they are at higher risk of serious medical complications from COVID-19. This means that as well as people who have received a shielding letter, we can also refer:   

People aged 70 years and older with underlying health conditions:   

• People who are pregnant 
• If you are newly socially vulnerable as a result of COVID 19
• People who are registered disabled
• Other high-risk conditions. 

 What support is available from the NHS Volunteer Responders?           

 There are currently 3 volunteer roles to support self-referring individuals as part of the scheme:           

• Community Response Volunteer: Volunteers to collect and deliver shopping, medication or other essential supplies for shielding patients
• Community Response Plus (Coming soon): Volunteers to collect and deliver shopping, medication or other essential supplies for patients with cognitive impairments and deliver significant vulnerabilities who are shielding. This volunteer will be DBS checked
• Check in and Chat: Volunteers to provide telephone support to individuals who are at risk of loneliness.

I think I need the help of a NHS Volunteer Responder, but I have not received a letter, how do I access their help?                

You are welcome to call the NHS Volunteer Responder Support Team on 0808 196 3646( 8am to 8pm). You will asked if you fall in to one of the above 5 categories.                  

If you do not have any of the health conditions listed above you will need to contact your Health Professional or GP to raise the referral on your behalf.               

We recommend that you contact the NHS Volunteer Responder team directly as this is the quickest route, however, Healthwatch Harrow are able to make the referral on your behalf if required.

To do so please telephone 020 3432 2889 or email info@healthwatchharrow.co.uk.

I’m a carer – can I make a referral on someone else’s behalf?                 

As someone with caring responsibilities, you are able to make a referral for someone that you care for that meets the above criteria. You can also make a referral for yourself, if this support helps you to continue in your caring role. Please call us on 0808 196 3646 to make a referral.              

For more information or to read our FAQs, please click here. 

For further information please refer to the website:              

https://volunteering.royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk/nhs-volunteer-responders-portal

The Healthwatch Harrow strategy on Coronavirus is outlined in the document below.

A local resident offers some thoughts that may be of help to other families whose loved ones are being treated at Northwick Park Hospital. 

"This is based on my own recent experience and what helped me through this difficult journey.  This is obviously limited to the ward where my loved one was treated however, I experienced really good communication and engagement and a willingness to work with me to ensure that my loved ones needs (and my own) were met. 

Is there anything that I could do to prepare my loved one before they are admitted?

• Explain to them and show them what PPE is, why it is being used - and that this may be a bit strange and scary
• Let them know that you will not be able to visit them but that you will keep in contact with them and how you will do this
• Share some of the resources with them that are available here which talk about going into hospital and what they will need to bring https://www.lnwh.nhs.uk/learning-disabilities/

What should my loved one have with them when they go into hospital?

Where possible send the following documentation into hospital with your loved one however, you can always email them to the ward administrator or Learning Disability and Autism Liaison Nurse and ask that they are added to your loved one’s hospital file

• Communication Passport
• Hospital Passport
• Any additional guidance about how care and support should be provided
• Anything they need to help them feel secure and give them comfort e.g. cuddly toys, clothes, gadgets, favorite books
• Mobile phone (this can be stored securely in their bedside locker and staff will be able to support them to call or video call with you)

How to make sure that your loved one gets the best support possible?

• What are the things that will keep you awake at night? Make a list of actions staff can take and share these with everyone that you speak to on the ward
• Ask for their communication passport and any instructions about care and support to be laminated and put on the wall behind their bed
• Speak to the nurse that is looking after them each day and explain about their communication needs and ask that this is passed on - until you feel confident that their communication needs are understood
• Ask for what you need including for someone to contact you to confirm that the reasonable adjustments that you have asked for have been put into place
• Think about who on the ward is the best person to direct your question to e.g. if you want something to be collected from the post room or to send in information to then ask to speak to an administrator rather than a member of the nursing team
• Make yourself known to the Ward Manager (as they also have a role as a Learning Disability Champion) share any concerns that you have or requests for reasonable adjustments that your loved one needs
• Contact the Learning Disability and Autism Liaison Nurse, Chloe 07388 8577 70 to let her know that your loved one is in hospital and share any concerns and requests for reasonable adjustments with her as well
• Let Chloe know about any changes to your loved one’s condition and any additional support they may need. She will be able to follow up with the ward and check that things are in place for them (and you)

Understanding and Getting Updates about your Loved One’s Condition

The medical team should keep in contact with you to give you a full update about your loved one’s condition.  There are doctors available 7 days a week so you should be able to get updates at the weekend too.  The doctors that were looking after my loved one updated the families of everyone they were caring for once a day.

I found these updates to be really thorough and helpful however, some doctors were better at explaining things than others - so you may want to go over the information with another member of the team. 

• Nominate someone in your family to be the main point of contact for medical updates. If this is not the Next of Kin, get them to give authority for the information to be shared with someone else and pass on the contact details of the person to be contacted
• Decide who you would like to be notified if there is a significant change in your loved one’s condition or in the event of their death – is this the Next of Kin or the person you have nominated for medical updates?
• Prepare your questions in advance so that you can try and cover everything that you need to know during the medical update call
• Don’t be afraid to say that you need some time to think about what they have said and would like to speak to them again later – but try and limit this where possible
• Understand your loved one’s Treatment Escalation Plan (TEP).  This is what treatment your loved one will receive if their condition worsens and what the ‘ceiling’ for their treatment is ie. when active treatment will stop and palliative care will begin.  Things can change really quickly so it is helpful to understand and be prepared for what will happen if things change
• Ask questions to help you understand the basis for any decisions about treatment ‘ceilings’ and to assure yourself that the process has not been discriminatory.  My understanding is that based on an assessment of your loved one’s tolerance and compliance, existing medical conditions and functional baseline
• Use of existing medical conditions and the functional baseline can feel discriminatory as your loved one is likely to have other health conditions and need support in everyday life.  My eventual understanding was that this was about what ‘physical reserves’ your loved one may have to fight the disease, if they were to become very poorly
• Find out about what different treatment options entail e.g. NIV (non-invasive ventilation) and ventilation as this will help you to have a sense of whether your loved one will be able to tolerate these interventions both physically and psychologically
• Decide if you want to go and see your loved one in the event that they become really unwell and are not going to recover.  You can ask for a visit to be facilitated so that you are able to say your goodbyes.

How do I keep in touch with my loved one whilst they are in hospital?

• Contact the ward and ask them to help to facilitate a phone call if your loved one is not able to contact you directly but has a mobile phone with them. 
• Contact the ward and ask if they can leave the phone somewhere accessible and on speaker for your loved one, if they can’t hold it themselves, so that you can chat to them or read to them.
• Contact the ward and ask if they can facilitate a video call with your loved one.  Some wards have had tablets donated so will be able to arrange this for you.
• Contact the ward administrator or PALS to see if they can help to borrow a device from another ward if there isn’t one on the ward where your loved one is
• Send gifts to the hospital so your loved ones know that you are thinking of them.  The people in the post room are not allowed to go onto the wards so contact the administrator on the ward to ask if they can go and collect them.

I hope that this is of some help to you and I wish you all well and your loved ones a speedy recovery."

Government guidelines around the coronavirus have changed for people who have a learning disability or who are on the autistic spectrum.

The government have said that people with a learning disability or people on the autistic spectrum are allowed to leave their homes to exercise in an open space two or three times a day during the lockdown for medical or health reasons.

They are also allowed to leave their local area to find a local space if there is not one available where they live.

Social distancing guidelines must be still be observed where possible.

Click here to find out more.

To find out how local people are coping and feeling during the pandemic, we have launched a brief survey (March - May 2020).

Results are available to view below.