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Action plan needed to tackle COVID-19’s effect on BAME community

There have been renewed calls for the UK Government to take real action to protect BAME communities from COVID 19.

New figures released by the ONS show that the rate of deaths for black males was over three times greater than that for white males of the same age, while the rate for black females was more than twice as great than for white females.

Men of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Indian ethnic backgrounds also were found to be one and a half times more likely to die than their white counterparts, after adjustments were made for population characteristics.

The ONS’s analysis also found that Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Sikh people all have higher risks of death.

In recent weeks the GMB trade union has been highly critical of the government’s failure to protect BAME workers from COVID19, with the latest figures a real wake up call.

Rehana Azam, GMB national secretary said: “Why is it that if you are from a black, Asian, and minority ethnic background, are you still more likely to be killed by coronavirus?

“We’ve known this for weeks, and yet still no major action has taken place to protect BAME communities by government.

“These figures are a huge wake up call. The time for talking is over. We don’t need further data or consultations. We need action from the government, and we need it now.”

British Medical Association (BMA) council chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul has also demanded the Government address the effect of COVID-19 on BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) communities – calling for immediate timelines for action plans instead of further consultations and reviews.

Dr Nagpaul asked the Government to implement the recommendations from a recent PHE (Public Health England) review urgently.

Dr Nagpaul said: ‘Our view as a profession, and my view, is that we’ve had enough reports, we’ve had enough reviews, we’ve had previous commissions. We know what the problems are.

“What we now need is an action plan. That’s what we asked for from the publication of the PHE review so each of those recommendations now needs to be populated with timescales of action plans and what needs to be done.

“Remember, the Government commissioned the PHE review – as the commissioner it now needs to respond not with some other commission but really with what is going to be done now. We’ve discussed many of the issues can be addressed very quickly and others may take some time. That’s what needs to happen.”

Marsha de Cordova MP, Labour’s Shadow Women and Equalities Secretary, said: “Across the globe, racial injustice has always had a devastating impact on society, and coronavirus has demonstrated the deadly consequences of when racial inequalities go unchecked.

“These findings are yet more evidence of the need for urgent action on this issue. But instead we have seen denial and delay from the Government.”

Dads in Lockdown: National Poll provides insight into new father-child relationships

One in three UK dads now closer to their children
Two in three UK dads take on new roles as teachers, head cooks or BFFs
Children teaching dads to be less impatient, more supportive and be better listeners
Half of dads committed to spending more time with their children after lockdown

DADS in LOCKDOWN ‘Human after all’

A new UK-wide poll conducted by retailer Menkind sheds light on how government-imposed lockdown measures have been impacting dads and their relationships with their children over the past couple of months.

Despite several challenges, many families are coming together, with dads not only spending more time at home with their children but also enjoying an improved relationship, making pleasant discoveries, teaching their children but also learning from them.

Challenging period a positive impact on father-children relationship

According to the poll, conducted between 14 and 19 May 2020, almost two thirds of dads (60%) have been spending more time with their kids than before, which contributed to strengthening the family bond significantly.

A third of dads say their relationship with their kids improved and that the isolation period brought them closer together.

There are, however, those who were less fortunate: a quarter of UK dads were forced to spend less time with their kids, as they are either empty nesters, their child is in the care of the other parent, or they were required to work long hours during the quarantine. Nevertheless, dads didn’t let physical distance stop them – 1 in 10 dads spent more time with their kids virtually, either by phone or video call.

Games, gardening, films and baking to keep sane

With more time on their hands, dads engaged in the simple pleasure of family activities as a means to overcome the difficulties of spending prolonged time inside: 2 in 5 played board games and computer games with the kids, the same number did gardening, over a third of dads took on DIY projects, while 1 in 10 fathers used sharing life stories with the kids for this purpose.

Among the lockdown activities dads engaged more in, over half admitted they were baking and cooking more than before, close to half said they exercised together with the family more, while a big proportion were playing more with the kids: 2 in 5 played more with toys, on par with dads who played video games, while almost half played board games, puzzles or other traditional games.

It was not all fun and games though, as half of dads say they helped out with coursework/homework more than before, as well as engaged in learning and educational activities.

Health, wellbeing and education as top challenges

The positive effects on the family bond didn’t come without difficulties. The top three challenges for fathers during lockdown with the kids were keeping the kids busy and engaged, the challenges of homeschooling and getting kids to spend less time on their phones/tablets.

Health and wellbeing challenges were also on the list, with a third of dads concerned about kids getting enough exercise and a fifth with cooking varied meals during the isolation period. Emotional wellbeing was a focus, with a quarter of respondents listing “giving each other space” as a challenge.

Dads more in tune with their emotions

When asked about the most important lessons learned from their kids during family quarantine, close to half of dads confessed that they want to spend more time with the kids moving forward, while two thirds want to be more supportive of them when they need it, and the same number said they learned to be less impatient from their kids.

Challenging male stereotypes, 1 in 14 dads said they learned to be more in tune with their feminine side. A significant number, 1 in 4, admitted they learned “that it’s okay to fail” and 1 in 5 confessed that “relationships take work”.

Lockdown funny moments were abundant

The lockdown didn’t come without its funny moments, with many dads experiencing their fair share of comical family situations. Among the most popular funny moments were kids crashing Zoom work calls on several occasions, pets crashing work calls, or dads themselves being the ones crashing their kids school/hobby Zoom classes.

The survey also collected some hilarious anecdotes from dads. While some dads admitted to “countless pranks pulled on each other” with the family and “passing air when online”, others found creative ways to cope with the quarantine: “I had a bit of a melt down and locked myself in our loft, my daughter and wife found this hilarious. Little do they know I have a chocolate stash up there.”

Commenting on the new survey findings, Fred Prego, Marketing Director at Menkind, said: “As kids we grow up with this idealised view of our dads as superheroes, which somehow fades away as we grow older and understand they are human, after all.

“These last few months have seen dads reclaim that superhero role as they’ve been spending more time at home with the family, forming closer bonds, getting more involved in their children’s education, activities and spare time.

“Despite the challenges of lockdown, it’s reassuring to see that most dads have cherished spending quality time with their kids to the point of wanting to be closer to them moving forward – being a father myself, I’m among them.”

To read more about the experiences and challenges UK dads faced during lockdown, please visit: www.menkind.co.uk/blog/lockdown-dad.

Test and Protect advice leaflet to be sent to Scottish households

Households are to be sent information explaining how the Test and Protect system works and setting out what to do if someone develops coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms.

NHS Test and Protect is being delivered by NHS Scotland to reduce the risk of the virus spreading. People with symptoms are urged to get tested straight away, with positive cases then referred to contact tracers.

The advice is being issued as the country moves into phase 2 of the Scottish Government’s exit strategy routemap with more restrictions being lifted and the new message to ‘Stay safe. Protect others. Save lives’.

The information will also be available online in 16 languages, large print and audio files.

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport Jeane Freeman said: “NHS Scotland’s Test and Protect plays a vital and central role in protecting all of us and will ensure we move through the phases of our exit strategy. It is a collective effort to help us protect others and save lives.

“We will continue to lift restrictions if we break the chain of transmission and supress the spread of the virus. We need everyone who has symptoms of COVID-19 to isolate and book a test immediately and to work with NHS Scotland contact tracers to identify who they may have had close contact with.

“Please keep the leaflet handy so you know exactly what to do if you need to self-isolate and how to access any support you need.

“NHS Test and Protect is central to keeping this virus under control but so too is physical distancing, wearing a face covering, avoiding crowds and good hand and cough hygiene. Together all of this will help us stay safe, protect others and save lives.”

Test and Protect was rolled out across Scotland on 28 May 2020.

People with any of the following symptoms should book a test at nhsinform.scot/test-and-protect or call 0800 028 2816 if they are unable to access the online service:

a high temperature or fever
a new continuous cough
a loss of, or change in sense of smell or taste

The leaflet will be available online from 22 June 2020.

SFRS urges reopening businesses and duty holders to be aware of fire threat

The Scottish Fire & Rescue Service is asking businesses and duty holders to carry out a fire risk assessment of their site as soon as possible.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is urging business owners and dutyholders to ensure that social distancing and protection measures do not impact on fire safety as lockdown restrictions begin to ease.

The national service is encouraging those who operate public premises to check that buildings and those who work within them or who use them remain protected from fire risk.

For example, measures to keep people safe from the spread of COVID-19 – such as plastic screens to support social distancing – could hamper fire safety measures including sprinklers or smoke detectors.

And while it is important to observe the two-metre social distancing rule wherever possible during the coronavirus pandemic, it is vital that people always exit a building as quickly and safely as possible, using all available means of escape in the event of a fire.

Any external queuing systems in place outside of businesses should also be designed to ensure they do not hamper the ability of emergency services to access a building when required to do so – quickly.

Holiday rental businesses and those who operate a holiday rental business should also take all available steps to make their premises safe from fire.

A thorough fire safety risk assessment should be carried out as soon as possible by all businesses and dutyholders, says Alasdair Perry, the SFRS Deputy Assistant Chief Officer for Prevention and Protection.

“We know that businesses owners and dutyholders will naturally be both excited and anxious about preparations to reopening for the first time in several weeks’ time,” he commented.

“During the last few months many of these workplaces will have understandably and correctly taken measures to protect staff from the spread of COVID-19.

“We are therefore urging all dutyholders to consider if these measures, including the installation of plastic screening, could have any impact on their fire detection or fire safety measures.

“For example, it is possible that screening installation, along with any increased loading or materials in the premises, may obstruct automatic fire detection apparatus such as smoke alarms.”We would also ask businesses to please manage any external queuing systems safely and effectively to ensure safe access for emergency service vehicles.

“These are important factors to consider and that is why we are urging people to review fire safety measures to ensure staff, communities and assets remain safe from fire.

DACO Perry continued: “We realise social distancing is in place, but in the event of a fire alarm activation or emergency, the message remains to exit the building safely, quickly and by the nearest available exit.

“Evacuation strategies affected by staffing levels should be revisited to ensure they are still robust and adequate staff numbers exist to support any evacuation of people from a building, including residents

“These are challenging times for us all, but it’s vital to consider the risk and devastating effects fire can have at all times.

“We are here to help keep you safe, but you can help us by taking steps to ensure the risk of fire within your business or premises is reduced and you comply with fire law.”

The SFRS is also keen to reach out to those who operate holiday rentals or receive paying guests where demand may significantly increase due to restrictions on foreign travel.

DACO Perry explained: “With the threat of COVID-19 ongoing, there’s a strong possibility more people will choose to holiday at home this year.

“We’re therefore asking those who rent out properties to ensure their fire safety risk assessment is up to date, that those visiting are kept safe and aware of what fire safety measures are in place and they know what to do in the event of a fire.

“These have been trying times for the whole country, but we cannot become complacent and must continue to work together to drive down the risk of fire across Scotland.”

For more advice on fire risk assessment or to speak with an officer, contact the SFRS via /your-safety/for-businesses/contact-your-local-fire-safety-enforcement-office.aspx

Further guidance is available from the Fire Industry Association https://www.fia.uk.com/about-us.html

More health services to restart

Patients will be able to access more health care in the coming weeks and months as NHS Scotland prepares to safely, carefully and in a series of stages, resume some services that had to be paused to ensure COVID-19 capacity and prevent further spread of the virus.

As Scotland moves into Phase 2 of the route map for transitioning through and out of the crisis, health boards will use the NHS Re-mobilise, Recover, Re-design framework to safely and incrementally prioritise services whilst ensuring that staff and patients are safe.

As services resume, the patient experience will look and feel different, and may often take longer because of the demands of ensuring safety, such as the need to reduce numbers in waiting rooms, additional cleaning and the extensive use of PPE.

From Wednesday 1 July, NHS Golden Jubilee plans to resume elective ophthalmology, orthopaedics, cardiac surgery and cardiology based on clinical priority. The Board have continued to provide urgent cancer, heart and lung services, including transplants, throughout the period.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic NHS Scotland has remained open continuing to provide emergency, urgent, cancer and maternity care, support for social care and maintained COVID-19 capacity and resilience.

“Thanks to the efforts of our health care staff and to all of us for continuing to follow public health advice, we have been able to protect our health service and provide the urgent care required to combat the virus.

“The Scottish Government is working with Health Boards to ensure the safe resumption of paused NHS services.

“We are doing this incrementally to ensure we prioritise patient and staff safety, whilst retaining capacity to treat COVID-19 in our health service, but good progress is being made.

“Patients should not expect to see all NHS services resumed immediately as it will take time ensure physical distancing and other safety measures are in place to protect patients and staff.

“The NHS does not exist in isolation. The ongoing development of these plans needs to be founded on a whole health and care system approach, which involves primary and community care, and engagement with clinical partners, service delivery partners, local authorities and patients.

“As we go forward, our Test and Protect strategy will also be crucial to help break the chains of transmission as lockdown restrictions slowly change. I want to reassure you that we are taking these precautions so that we can safely offer the right care, at the right time, in the right place.”

National Clinical Director Jason Leitch said: “The reality is coronavirus is likely to be with us for some time to come and as we move to restart paused services, we have had to review how we deliver those services to ensure patients both get the treatment they require but also that staff and patients are safe.

“This work takes time and in some cases will mean that how patients access services will look and feel different.

“We would ask the public to keep using NHS Inform as their first source for reliable health information. Community pharmacies remain a widely available resource for minor ailments and General Practice teams are fully available.”

Measures that will come into force in Phase 2 include:

Urgent referrals and triage of routine services in key specialties such as Cardiology, Urology, and Trauma and Orthopaedics, will be resumed gradually during phase 2, with patients prioritised by clinical need and in line with guidance to ensure the safety of all patients and staff.
Health boards will reintroduce any suspended GP services in a planned and phased way throughout phase 2. The majority of GP practices have introduced a telephone triage system and patients will be navigated to the most appropriate pathway to meet their needs, supporting them to see the right person at the right time. Patients access to Primary Care Out of Hours Services will continue by contacting NHS 24 on 111. There will be a greater use of telephone and video consultations and so patients are likely to have a different experience than they had before COVID-19.
From Monday 22 June, all dental practices will be able to open and treat patients in need of urgent dental care. The capacity of the urgent dental care centres, established at the start of lockdown, will be increased and will continue to see those patients who require certain treatments involving aerosol generating procedures.
From Monday 29 June, health boards will be able to gradually resume some screening services including endoscopies and other diagnostic tests prioritised by clinical need and in line with guidance to ensure the safety of all patients.
From Monday 29 June, all community optometry practices will be able to resume seeing patients face-to-face who have emergency and essential eye problems, as well as continuing to manage as many of these patients remotely as possible. The Emergency Eyecare Treatment Centres, which have managed patients with emergency eye problems who needed to be seen face-to-face during lockdown and Phase 1, will close.
From Monday 6 July, health boards will reintroduce some chronic disease management, which could include pain services, diabetic services on an incremental basis.

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Dads Rock all set to celebrate Father’s Day

It’s here! The full list of everything that’s happening on Father’s Day!

We’ve got some great free fun for all the family. For kids aged 0 up! Ballet, Cooking, Dads massage, Drawing, Face painting, First aid, Junk play, Messy Play, Music, Stories and Songs and Yoga!

You need to sign up for activities, and can do so following this link: https://www.dadsrock.org.uk/fathers-day-2020

A Poem for World Refugee Day

To mark World Refugee Day and celebrate Refugee Week in the UK, Good Chance and The World From My Window have embarked on a global collaboration to bring together voices of reflection and hope from 28 countries: from Mexico to New Zealand via Sudan and Iran.

Internationally-renowned poet and playwright Inua Ellams has drawn together lines of poetry from around the world and weaved them into this new global democratic artwork. He unites views from windows across the globe into one huge vista that stands as a living monument to the stories around us.

Driven by the desire to imagine what the world could look like and to find hope in this strange new time, people from our global Window Words workshop, from The World From My Window community and our Good Chance Artists have united to share their words with us all.

The poem itself is a first of its kind – a collaborative, global account and piece of art that reflects on lockdown. It is the result of a variety of different workshops and collaborations that have taken place during this week’s Refugee Week.

Some of the contributors themselves have had experience of living as a refugee with the submissions to project coming from the following countries:

Afghanistan, Algeria, America, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, England, Ethiopia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Poland, Scotland, Solomon Islands, Sudan, Syria, Tokyo, Turkey, Uganda, Wales and Zimbabwe.

Ellams says: “I’ve been working with Good Chance and The World From My Window during Refugee Week to create this collective poem of voices from 27 countries around the world – and from what everyone has shared from around the world, it’s become a poem of the strangeness of these times, of separation, of connection, and ultimately of hope. I hope you enjoy it …”

A DECISION FILLED WITH COLOUR

They say after a supernova

the explosion sucks everything around it, even the light.

The world is now an unknown space.

I look for the frame of my window.

Outside, dawn drips through the valleys.

Clouds stumble like churning stomachs.

The best time to look

is when I can see without noise, distractions,

when the pieces fall into place

and the mess can fade into background.

The pouring rain draws me to the window.

It shines like the full moon.

Long trapped behind their blinds,

neighbours pace the pavement‚ no man’s land.

Driveways once empty, hold cars

that haven’t moved for months.

The glass, a transparent shield,

muffles the war-cry chatter of these passers-by.

I open it, the city breathes out an immense sigh

and I let torrential rain fill the river of myself.

I climb out to set sail, to dream, but find

a dropped rubber band one metre from my door

and fall into the hollow dawn.

Silence prevails throughout the neighbourhood.

Last month, a street vendor was arrested for going out.

Last month, a man in power got away with going out.

We humans with our lawnmowers, our rage,

our online monsoons, so desperate to feel full

have caused Mother Earth to sob, she has filled this land.

Now four women stand, their backs hunched,

nervously looking at me.

Pollen floats, as if trying to run away.

Squirrels manically scoff packaged peanuts

like teenagers of creation.

Charcoal trains pollute the air. Thunders crash like angry bulls.

The path is broken, but I shuffle through the storm

like an old hermit, the storm now inside me, breaking

over fields wide and private like my thoughts.

I fight back tears in front of strangers.

I miss hiking through mountain ranges,

sitting on marvelous sand dunes,

the dust on my face, my skin a sea of fire.

When will I be among them again?

Will waves still sound the same?

Are our lives like scaffolding empty of homes?

Who else’s love is drowned in red?

I listen to the birds calling.

Open up, they say. It’s me, they say.

The sky is a decision filled with color, they say.

A chiffchaff will trill through the triumphant sky, they say.

Pinks and oranges will claim the evenings, they say.

Life’s dangers won’t last forever, they say.

They send me a ray of hope,

my words like scaffolding to climb.

I will wait for stars to look through my window,

for the fresh morning glow,

for twigs from the unswept road light enough to be carried by the wind.

I will wait for my twinkling fingers

growing unnoticed like trees.

I will sit and enjoy the best of what nature brings,

for what magic it will return.

Walled Garden to welcome back volunteers

Volunteering at the garden

We are pleased to let you know that from Monday (22nd June) we will hold volunteer gardening sessions from 2-4pm every day except Thursday.

We will continue to work at a safe distance of 2 metres and request that you bring your own gloves and hand sanitisers/wipes.

Please avoid attending the garden if you feel unwell, if you have been in contact with another person who is unwell, or if you have an underlying health condition that would make you vulnerable to infection.

We look forward to seeing you. There is a great deal to do!

Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden

Edinburgh Bioquarter launches public consultation

Edinburgh BioQuarter has launched an online community consultation with the intention of developing a new mixed-use neighbourhood, as part of plans to create the city’s “Health Innovation District”.

A new fly-through of the proposed development shows the latest design phase of the masterplan to the local community, with the consultation seeking feedback on how the site will evolve over the next decade and beyond.

BioQuarter, which sits to the south east of the city in Little France, is already home to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, the University of Edinburgh Medical School and Centre for Regenerative Medicine, alongside a number of medical research institutes and life sciences businesses.

The ambition is that BioQuarter will grow to a community of more than 20,000 people who will live, work or study at the 167-acre site. The expansion will support an estimated 9,000 longer term new jobs, plus additional construction jobs, while greatly expanding the numbers of spin out and start-up companies.

BioQuarter’s partners – the City of Edinburgh Council, NHS Lothian, Scottish Enterprise, and the University of Edinburgh – are updating their existing masterplan to include a wider mix of uses including an increase in residential and commercial properties planned at the site.

The consultation on the plan will run online – due to current restrictions caused by Covid-19 – between 18 June and 6th July 2020.

Proposals featured as part of the online consultation include the construction of shops, cafés, a gym, hotel, nursery and residential homes set alongside state-of-the-art innovation, teaching and healthcare facilities.

With the commitment of its partners, BioQuarter has already benefitted from over £500million of public capital investment and has a further £300million of investment planned over the next five years.

The site is also home to innovative research including STOPCOVID, a project aiming to test existing and experimental drugs as treatments for Covid-19, spearheaded by the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Inflammation Research.

Commenting on the launch of the consultation, Anna Stamp, Edinburgh BioQuarter, Interim Programme Director, said: “Over the past two decades BioQuarter has grown as a place for health innovation with some of the country’s top medical research and life sciences businesses working together across the site.

“We want your views to help shape BioQuarter’s development. This is an exciting time as we look to create a new community in the city; a vibrant neighbourhood that promotes health and wellbeing and compliments its surrounding areas. We have a unique opportunity here, which, if developed in the right way, can deliver huge benefits to the City, including economic growth, jobs skills and education.

“As part of the development of our Health Innovation District, we want to make sure it includes the right mix of amenities that will ensure it becomes a great new place to live, work and discover.”

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “I’m delighted to see plans progressing for this hugely exciting project for Edinburgh. I’d encourage everyone to feed into the consultation for this cutting-edge development.

“Life sciences have long been extremely valuable as a sector here in Edinburgh, and the BioQuarter will play a crucial role in its ongoing success. This can make a massive contribution to the ongoing regeneration of the south east of the city.

“This scheme will create a whole new community of people, with access to a vibrant new public square. In addition to this, it’s estimated the development will create around 9,000 new local jobs, with many more construction roles being created while it is being built.”

Consultation-Documents

Those unable to access the plans online can request detail on the development by writing to Edinburgh BioQuarter Programme Team, Community Consultation, NINE, 9 Little France Road, Edinburgh BioQuarter, Edinburgh, EH16 4UX.

Scottish lawyer calls for a change in legislation to protect cyclists

An Edinburgh lawyer is calling for the UK to adopt a similar approach to other European countries of presumed liability of drivers when cyclists are involved in a road accident.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic the government has been promoting cycling, not only for its health benefits during lockdown, but also as an alternative to public transport. Personal injury specialist at Thorntons, Michelle Adam, believes that UK roads aren’t set up to deal with an increase in cyclists, meaning there is a higher chance of an accident happening – and cyclists should be protected.

Michelle said: “If the government is serious about increasing the use of bikes, they need to invest in the correct infrastructure to keep cyclists safe – resurfacing roads and creating more designated cycle lanes. Without this, it’s inevitable there will be more accidents.

“At the moment in the UK when a cyclist is involved in an accident with a car or other vehicle, the cyclist needs to prove that the car driver is to blame for the accident. That can sometimes be difficult, particularly if a cyclist is very badly injured and there are no witnesses.

“Across most of Europe however, there is a different approach which is known as presumed liability. That means that a car driver will be liable if they collide with a cyclist. The only way to avoid responsibility is if the driver can prove that the crash was unforeseeable or out of their control. I believe this approach should be adopted in the UK.

“If a cyclist is involved in an accident with a car, they are much more likely to be seriously injured than the car driver. Motor vehicles are heavy pieces of equipment which are full of safety features to protect their passengers, which is not the case for someone on a bike.

“Cyclists should obviously obey the rules of the road and take care for their own safety but they ought not to have the burden of having to prove the other party is at fault. In our changed world, I believe now is the right time to change the law, raise awareness and make all road users safer.

“But for now, if the worst happens and you are knocked off your bike and suffer an injury, you might be entitled to compensation if you can prove the other party is at fault. If you have an accident, try to get names of any witnesses, details of the driver and the registration number of the vehicle involved. These will be useful evidence if you decide to pursue a personal injury claim.”