Update from Sainsbury’s Chief Executive Mike Coupe

Dear Customer,

I have written to you regularly over the past few weeks as we continue to change how we work in line with Government advice and in response to your feedback. Changes we’ve made already, including limiting the number of items customers can buy and creating priority shopping times for NHS workers and for elderly and vulnerable customers, are all working well.

I am writing today to tell you what we are doing to keep you and our colleagues safe in our stores and what we are doing to get food to those that need it the most.

Keeping you and our colleagues safe

Starting today, we will limit the number of people allowed in our stores and at our ATMs at any one time. We are putting queuing systems in place outside stores and will ask everyone to please queue at a safe distance of 2 metres apart. Since we put limits on the number of items people could buy, food and other essential items are on shelves for longer each day so please arrive throughout the day to avoid long queues forming in the morning. We will be reminding people in stores to keep a safe distance from other customers and from our colleagues. Customers buying petrol will be asked to pay at the pump where they can.

We are reducing the number of checkouts we open in supermarkets, convenience stores and petrol filling stations to help our colleagues and customers keep a safe distance from each other. We are also introducing safety screens at every manned checkout to help keep our colleagues safe when serving customers. We are regularly sanitising all customer areas of our stores including chip and pin machines, baskets and trolleys.

Please pay by card at the till if you can. If you are unable to pay by card and want to pay by cash, please use our self scan tills which will stay open for cash payments. Many customers are now using our SmartShop app on their own devices when shopping in our stores. This means you can scan your own shopping as you go round the store, put food and other essential items straight into your own bags and pay for your groceries at a special till before leaving. Which means less interaction with other customers and colleagues and less time queuing to pay.

Elderly and vulnerable customers

Many of you have written to me to tell me you are elderly or vulnerable and are struggling to book online delivery slots. We are doing our absolute best to offer online delivery slots to elderly, disabled and vulnerable customers.

These customers have priority over all slots. Our customer Careline has been inundated with requests from elderly and vulnerable customers – we have had one year’s worth of contacts in two weeks.

We have proactively contacted 270,000 customers who had already given us information that meant we could identify them as being in these groups. Our customer Careline is working at full capacity to help other customers within these groups and we are able to give an additional 8,000 customers a day access to delivery slots over the phone. We have already booked in slots for 115,000 elderly, disabled and vulnerable customers this week and this number is growing every day.

We will receive the government database this week which tells us which people in England the government considers to be most vulnerable. Where these people are already registered with us, we will start to write to them next week to offer them a delivery slot. We are also working hard to secure details for vulnerable people living in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

I apologise to our regular online customers, who I know are feeling very frustrated at not being able to book slots. Please bear with us and I hope you can understand why we feel the need to prioritise elderly and vulnerable customers at the moment.

Communities working together

And this brings me onto my final request. We really are doing our best to manage a very difficult situation. Demand for online grocery delivery is higher now than it has ever been. We are working hard to increase our online capacity and we are adding more slots in every day. But it is not possible for us to create enough slots to meet the current level of demand.

We are seeing communities come together to work on this issue. We know that many people who are able to come into a store to shop are also shopping for others who can’t access food online or get to a shop. We want to encourage and support this. If everyone who shops in store also shops for a person who is less able, it will go a long way towards getting food to everyone who needs it.

Our teams are also working with national and local government and a range of charities to see how we can best help food banks and other community groups. I’ll update you soon on what we are doing in this area.

Lastly – thank you for all the support that you are giving our colleagues. As we do everything we can to feed the nation, your kind comments make a huge difference.

Best wishes

Mike

Trams construction work to halt

Construction on Edinburgh’s Trams to Newhaven project will stop this week to protect the safety of workers and residents during the current coronavirus outbreak.

The Council’s decision to instruct contractors Morrison Utility Services (MUS) and Sacyr Farrans Neopul (SFN) to cease site works follows advice from Scotland’s First Minister that all construction sites should close, unless the project being delivered is essential.

SFN and MUS will make sites on Leith Walk, Constitution Street, Lindsay Road and Ocean Drive safe by the end of the week before shutting down. This time is required given the complex nature of the project. Following on from shutdown there will be contractors on site as necessary for safety and security checks, in line with current social distancing guidance.

Work will continue off-site, again operating to strict social distancing guidelines, including design, planning and scheduling, as well as drawing up a remobilisation strategy for returning to the site once restrictions are lifted. The project team will also be closely liaising with MUS and SFN to look at ways of mitigating the impact of work stopping on the wider project.

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “The health and wellbeing of workers delivering key infrastructure schemes like Trams to Newhaven – and those who live nearby – is of utmost importance to us, which is why we’ve been working with contractors, to halt work since the Scottish Government guidance was issued.

“Of course, this will impact on the wider project, but nothing is more important than the public’s safety. We will, of course, be working with contractors to mitigate the impact of these necessary actions and carefully planning our strategy for returning to the site once restrictions are lifted.

Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “We’ve listened to national advice and the message is clear – we must limit our interactions with others during this crucial period. This is a major decision, and we remain committed to delivering the tram to Newhaven, but right now it is absolutely necessary if we are to limit the impact of coronavirus on the city and country as a whole.

“We are making every effort to protect the public while delivering core services and I would encourage people to do their own bit by observing rules on social distancing and looking out for one another where possible.”

SFN Project Director Alejandro Mendoza said: “We fully back the decision and guidance from the Government this week to shut down construction sites during this period of great uncertainty.

“These are extremely challenging and concerning times for all and we will do what is necessary for our staff and the public to help stop the spread of this virus.

MUS Project Director Mike Thomson said: “The health of our staff, and the residents and businesses in the local community, is our number one priority so we understand and support the decision to temporarily stop work.

“We will be working hard over the next few days to make the site safe and secure for the shut down period.”

While traffic management due to be installed on Leith Walk on 28 March will be postponed, existing traffic management on Constitution Street, Lindsay Road and Ocean Drive will remain.

Safety and security checks following shutdown will include, but will not be limited to, fenced-off worksites, traffic management signage, diversion routes, logistics hubs and the main compound and satellite offices. This will be in line with current social distancing guidance.

Logistics hubs on Mitchell Street will also close. The project’s contact centre will remain operational for any queries.

Other major infrastructure schemes being carried out by the Council across Edinburgh are currently under urgent review in light of UK and Scottish Government guidance, with updates to follow.

Several service changes have been implemented by the Council this week to help limit the impact of the coronavirus outbreak in Edinburgh. These include the suspension of pay and display parking charges, closing play parks and games areas and establishing Local Critical Resilience Centres.

Further information on services, support and how to report any concerns can be found on the Council website. If you’re experiencing an emergency or critical situation, please call 0131 200 2000.

Find out more about Trams to Newhaven online.

New Mortgage Information Support Service launched

New Mortgage Information Support Service to ease financial worries of local people amid COVID-19 outbreak

Mortgage Advice Bureau in Edinburgh has launched a dedicated Mortgage Information Support Service to help homeowners who are worried about their finances as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

The free support service, which is available to homeowners in Edinburgh, has been set up to answer any queries or worries people may have about paying their mortgage, and to guide them back to financial security.

To speak to a qualified mortgage adviser via the support service, homeowners should call 0800 652 6649.  Mortgage Advice Bureau in Edinburgh has also created an online resource of FAQs on the topic. This will be updated daily as more queries are raised. This resource can be found here.

In an ever-changing economic climate, the UK government is responding daily with new measures to minimise the impact of the Coronavirus, not only on our health, but our finances too. This includes access to a mortgage payment holiday of up-to three months for those worst hit financially by the virus.

However, this may not be homeowners’ only worry regarding monthly finances and with the new Mortgage Information Support Service, Mortgage Advice Bureau is answering people’s most common questions around managing their household finances to help them cope.

Dylan Kelly, head of marketing at Mortgage Advice Bureau Regional Network Partner – Scotland, explains further: “We are living in unprecedented times and some homeowners are rightly worried about their finances.

“With a mortgage typically being a homeowner’s largest outgoing, monthly mortgage payments are naturally going to be homeowners’ biggest concern. We’ve set up the Mortgage Information Support Service to help people through this challenging period and to offer advice to those who need it most.

“The helpline is managed by fully qualified mortgage advisers who can provide guidance about what to do if repaying a mortgage is a worry during the Coronavirus outbreak. As the situation changes in the UK and across the globe, it’s difficult for people to foresee how their monthly income will be affected, particularly for homeowners on short-term, temporary or zero-hours contracts.

“The government is doing its best to help people during these difficult times and we certainly take financial well-being very seriously, so we are also doing our upmost to support people. We hope that the helpline will allow homeowners to talk openly and get them back on track with their finances.”

For more information or to speak to a qualified mortgage adviser via the support service, call 0800 652 6649.

You can also find out more information about the Mortgage Information Support Service or view the FAQs here. 

Volunteer Edinburgh – Coronavirus update

It goes without saying that this is the most unprecedented of times. There has already been a large volunteer response and over the coming weeks this will evolve and what is needed will change also (writes Volunteer Edinburgh Chief Officer PAUL WILSON).

At Volunteer Edinburgh we have been working flat out to adapt and respond and I know all of you will have been doing so too.

We thought it important to let you know what we have done so far and what we are going to do in response to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Advice on being a good neighbour

Many people around the city are wanting to help within their communities and our message is very much think local, act local. Just be a good neighbour. This is especially important given the current restrictions on movement.

We have a lot of advice for people who want to be good neighbours on our website here and we also have information for individual citizens on how to so this safely. This information is evolving constantly so please continue to refer people to it.

Do you need volunteers?

I know many volunteer involving organisations across the city have been adjusting and adapting to the current crisis. Your available volunteer numbers may well be down as a result of self-isolation or it may be that there are more or different opportunities that you need volunteer support with. We are being approached by many people who want to volunteer. If you need volunteers please use our existing online advertising routes here.

If you have not used this before and need support to do so contact us on 0131 225 0630 or email paul.bennett@volunteeredinburgh.org.uk.

If your opportunity is COVID-19 related please use COVID-19 in either the title or the role description as this will mean your opportunity is automatically added to our COVID-19 volunteering opportunities listing.

Appeal to volunteer managers

If you are an experienced volunteer manager but you are not currently engaging or managing volunteers, for whatever reason, we are looking for your help. If you think you can support some of the work that we will be doing over the coming weeks please let us know by contacting javier.tejera@volunteeredinburgh.org.uk.

We are currently working hard to coordinate a wide volunteer response to support vital services over the coming weeks. We are likely to need some help from volunteering professionals. So if you think you can help please let us know.

Engaging new volunteers at this time

Anyone engaging new volunteers during this crisis knows that normal best practice processes that we use may be difficult to maintain. It is important to consider how you can adapt your practices and be pragmatic while safely engaging volunteers. It may not be possible to get references for example. Social distancing requirements may make orientation challenging. Here are a few ideas which you might find useful:

Can you put your applications on line? Perhaps consider using Google Docs?

Can interviews and indeed orientation/induction be done via Skype/Zoom/WhatsApp?

References are likely to be impracticable at the moment. Can you ask for people to verify their identity more than you usually do? Remember many larger employers will undertake a variety of checks on employees, so if someone can prove they work for a particular company consider whether that can provide you with additional confidence.

Can you record your orientation/induction on a phone so that you can use it repeatedly? This is not the time to be worrying about production values!

You can find out further information about regulated work and PVGs here.

If you have a genius idea on adapting your volunteer recruitment please share it with us and we will let people know.

Inspiring Volunteer Awards

Of course our Inspiring Volunteer Awards which were scheduled for Wednesday 3 June have now been postponed. No decision of a new date has been made for the moment.

Rest assured that we will keep in touch when any further action or decisions have been made. If you have any questions then please contact events@volunteeredinburgh.org.uk.

Support from EVOC

Our Third Sector Interface partner EVOC would like to know what support organisations might need from them at this time. Please take a moment to complete their survey.

EVOC are also soon to launch a downloadable resource which will detail some of the emerging third sector and community groups work across the city. Remember that EVOC can signpost your organisation to networks or to similar organisations who are looking to collaborate around themes. For this contact info@evoc.org.uk.

If organisations are looking to source free training on anything that this is useful at the moment, can they email requests to julieanne.hill@evoc.org.uk for more information.

Thank you,
Paul J Wilson
Chief Officer of Volunteer Edinburgh

Granton Information Centre: still here for you

Due to the Coronavirus outbreak our office is currently closed to the public – but  GIC is still operating!

Call us Monday – Friday, 9.30am – 4pm on on 0131 551 2459 or 0131 552 0458 if:

•You would like to arrange a telephone appointment to discuss money, benefits, housing or debt

•You wish to discuss an existing case

•You require a foodbank referral

All messages will be returned as long as you leave a clear telephone number for us to reach you on.

Emails will be checked daily: our email address is info@gic.org.uk

Government launches Coronavirus Information Service on WhatsApp

The UK Government has launched a GOV.UK Coronavirus Information service on WhatsApp.

The new free to use service aims to provide official, trustworthy and timely information and advice about coronavirus (COVID-19), and will further reduce the burden on NHS services.

This will help combat the spread of coronavirus misinformation in the UK, as well as helping ensure people stay home, protect the NHS and save lives.

The GOV.UK Coronavirus Information Service is an automated ‘chatbot’ service which will allow the British public to get answers to the most common questions about coronavirus direct from government.

The service will provide information on topics such as coronavirus prevention and symptoms, the latest number of cases in the UK, advice on staying at home, travel advice and myth busting.

The service will also allow the government to send messages to all opted-in users if required.

To use the free GOV.UK Coronavirus Information Service on WhatsApp, simply add 07860 064422 in your phone contacts and then message the word ‘hi’ in a WhatsApp message to get started.

A set of menu options is then presented which the user can choose from and then be sent relevant guidance from GOV.UK pages as well as links to GOV.UK for further information.

Matt Idema, Chief Operating Officer, WhatsApp, said: “At difficult times like these, people are using WhatsApp more than ever to connect with and support their friends, family and communities.

“We are pleased to be able to provide the UK Government with the communications tools to help them answer the public’s questions about the virus with reliable, timely health advice, in order to keep people safe.”

Prof Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director, Public Health England, said: “This service will help us ensure the public has a trusted source for the right information about coronavirus, updated with the latest public health guidance and providing assurance that they are not misled by any of the false information circulating.

Other recent Government communications include:

Earlier this week the government texted people across the UK to inform them of the new rules announced by the Prime Minister on 23 March 2020. Details here – https://www.gov.uk/government/news/coronavirus-sms-messages

The Government has also sent text messages to the vulnerable as part of the shielding package announced by the Prime Minister on 22 March 2020.

Details here – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19

Luminate@Home

Luminate, in partnership with Scottish Care, is launching Luminate@Home, a new programme of short online films demonstrating creative activities for you to do wherever you are.

The activities will be presented by professional artists and will feature different arts forms including crafts, poetry, music and dance.

Luminate have developed the films in partnership with Scottish Care, and they are aimed at people living in their own homes, as well as care home staff who are looking for ideas of activities for residents.

We understand that this is a worrying and difficult time for everyone, especially if older individuals are having to spend the next few weeks isolated at home or in a care home, and we hope that you will find the activities enjoyable and engaging to do over the next few weeks.

Films will be posted every Tuesday and Friday at 2pm on the  Luminate website and Facebook page as well as on their Vimeo and YouTube channels.

Once posted, the films will be left online so you can access them at any time.

Enjoy the films and stay safe from all at Luminate and Scottish Care.

Coronavirus: Scotland forms new expert group

A new expert group providing additional scientific analysis of the impact of COVID-19 in Scotland has been announced by the First Minister.

As the number of cases increases, it is important that we have the fullest possible understanding of exactly how COVID-19 is spreading in Scotland.

Professor Andrew Morris, Professor of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh and Director of Health Data Research UK, will chair the Scottish Government COVID-19 Advisory Group.

He will be supported by vice chair, Professor David Crossman, Dean of Medicine at the University of St Andrews and Chief Scientific Advisor for Health at the Scottish Government.

The group will supplement the advice coming to the four nations from the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (SAGE) to further strengthen Scottish Government modelling work informing national and local decisions in Scotland during the pandemic.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Catherine Calderwood (above) said: “We are facing an unprecedented situation and it’s crucial we not only follow the latest scientific advice coming from SAGE, but establish what that means here in Scotland on a local level.

“It’s vital that we are well equipped to deal with all possibilities as this outbreak grows globally and this advisory group will play a key role in developing our understanding of the virus and its impact on Scotland.

“We will continue to work closely with the UK Government, Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive as part of a coordinated response to this virus.”

Read the COVID-19 Guidance for Non-Healthcare Settings.

The latest numbers of test results are published at 2pm each day on the Scottish Government website.

Updates on public health advice for coronavirus can be found on the NHS Inform website, and a free helpline has been set up for those who do not have symptoms but are looking for general health advice: 0800 028 2816.

Common symptoms of coronavirus include:
• fever or a temperature of above 37.8°C
• persistent cough

Key Worker status: Usdaw appeals to local authorities

Retail trade union Usdaw has written to the Scottish Government THREE TIMES urging them to clarify that workers in the food and pharmaceutical supply chains are defined as key workers and therefore able to access school childcare provision. 

The union has not received the necessary clarity, so has written to all Scottish local authority leaders directly, pleading with them to allow retail and pharmaceutical workers to make use of the much needed services schools offer, to enable them to go into work and provide the essential services we all rely on.

Stewart Forrest,Usdaw Divisional Officer for Scotland, said: “Usdaw is extremely disappointed with the guidance issued by the Scottish Government on Friday regarding school closures.

“In the rest of the UK, the essential role of food and pharmaceutical workers has been recognised, with these workers rightly prioritised for childcare provision.  This has not been made clear in the guidance for Scotland.

“There is an extraordinary effort being undertaken by workers throughout the supply chain, to keep Scotland fed.  The supply of food and medicine is always an essential service, now more than ever. There should be no question whatsoever that our members in these roles are essential workers and that they need to be prioritised.

“It is very disappointing that we have been forced to write to local authority leaders directly, but we will not let this rest until our members, who are doing essential work in very difficult circumstances, have the correct support that they desperately need.”

PM’s daily briefing: Wednesday 25 March

Good afternoon. Thank you for joining us for today’s daily briefing on coronavirus.

I would like to update you all on the government’s plan to defeat the virus and on the latest developments.

I am joined once again by our Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty, and the Chief Scientific Advisor, Sir Patrick Vallance.

From the very beginning of this crisis I have followed the advice of our world-leading scientists.

To defeat coronavirus by taking the right measures at the right time.

What everyone needs to recognise is that our NHS – like any world-class health service – has only limited numbers of doctors, nurses and specialist equipment.

So, the more people who become sick at any one time, the harder it is for the NHS to cope.

And so it is vital to delay the spread of the disease and reduce the number of people needing hospital treatment at any one time.

That is why we have given the clear instruction that people must stay at home – unless they have one of the reasons we have set out.

And, with your help we will slow the spread of the disease.

I want to thank everyone who has been following the clear rules that we set out on Monday.

And I want to thank everyone in the NHS, the front line of the fight against coronavirus.

And of course all our public services.

Our teachers and our school staff, the transport workers, police officers,

And everyone who is keeping this country going.

But I also want to offer a special thank you to everyone who has now volunteered to help the NHS.

When we launched the appeal last night we hoped to get 250,000 over a few days.

But I can tell you that in just 24 hours 405,000 people have responded to the call.

They will be driving medicines from pharmacies to patients.

They will be bringing patients home from hospital.

Very importantly they’ll be making regular phone calls to check on and support people who are staying on their own at home.

And they will be absolutely crucial in the fight against this virus.

That is already – in one day – as many volunteers as the population of Coventry.

And so, to all of you, and to all the former NHS staff who are coming back now into the service.

I say thank you on behalf of the entire country.

Now I want to take some questions but finally I want to remind everyone of our core policy:

Stay at home

Protect the NHS

And save lives.