As you’ll no doubt be aware by now, the Government has implemented another national lockdown from Thursday 5th November 2020 to Wednesday 2nd December 2020. You may find some of the following information useful for you and your family:
A Carer Passport scheme is now available across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. and is designed to:
- recognise the support that family carers provide
- raise awareness of caring
- act as a conversation starter
- ease recognition in a variety of situations
- enable carers to access support (including accessing priority shopping slots)
- use as evidence for the need to travel during restrictions.
There is lots of COVID specific information for carers on the City Council website here, including how to protect yourself and the person/people you care for during the pandemic/lockdown, how to get food, medication and essentials, what to do if you can’t care for your loved one and other FAQs.
More generic information for Carers on the City Council website here: https://www.leicester.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/adult-social-care/support-for-carers/
Many carers may be wondering what the impact of the latest national lockdown is going to be on services like day care/community opportunities. The City Council has reviewed the guidance that accompanied the Prime Minister’s announcement. It states that:
‘Support groups that are essential to deliver in person can continue with up to 15 participants where formally organised to provide mutual aid, therapy or any other form of support.
No further national advice and guidance, including how this relates specifically to day services & Personal Assistants, has been produced yet. Until this is received Leicester City Council are advising that day services can continue to operate as they were. This includes plans for people to return to face to face / building based support where they choose to do so.
Additional advice has been published regarding those people who are ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’. It includes that:
‘It is important that you continue to receive care and support you need to help you stay safe and well.’
Leicester City Council will be encouraging providers to revisit risk assessments for people who fall into the ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’ category (a designation which is given by the person’s GP or through a letter from the government). This should include discussions with the individual in question or their families & carers. They would ask that you also encourage families not to cancel their existing care packages and encourage them to continue to use the care and support that they may have in place.
If you have any questions about care and support issues due to the coronavirus outbreak then you can contact the Leicester City Social Care coronavirus helpline:
- Call: 0116 454 2300
- Email: AdultSocialCare-Covid-Helpline@leicester.gov.uk