Plans in place to support vulnerable pupils

Plans to ensure learning continues for Edinburgh’s vulnerable young people are being put in place across the Capital.

Two dedicated hub schools opened today for identified children with complex additional support needs, including those of key workers.

A programme of activities, planned in conjunction with the pupils’ own class teachers, will be delivered by staff from special schools and supported by teams from the Additional Support for Learning service (ASL). Both schools will continue to be open over the Easter holidays.

Other children and young people with additional support needs are being supported by their schools through a combination of video conferencing, online learning activities and learning packs which have been sent home by their schools.

Class teams are in regular contact with these pupils to support their wellbeing and ensure their learning continues with 250 iPads being allocated to allow face to face contact for vulnerable children.

Our schools are teaming up with psychological services and other partners to provide further family support, advice and remote learning for vulnerable pupils. The ASL service has shared a list of recommended resources and contact details with schools, early years settings and families to support children with complex needs.

The ASL teams have also put in place bespoke one to one support for our children, young people and families with the highest need with a large focus being on the outdoors. To achieve this they will be using the hubs they have set up at Urban Nature and our own Seaview Centre.

Th council is currently working with partners to ensure that provision is available for children with complex additional support needs whose parents are key workers, and our children with the most complex needs, over the Easter holidays.

Information about this will be shared directly with parents next week.

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “Our special schools and the Additional Support for Learning service have been working extremely hard to make sure parents and carers for children with additional support needs have been supplied with online and digital resources along with home learning materials.

This is clearly a very worrying time for everyone in the city but even more so for those families with children who have additional support needs. The team have pulled out all the stops to ensure learning can continue for these young people and support for keyworker families continues.

Depute Leader Cammy Day said ‘Opening the two schools means that those young people with the most complex needs will continue to receive learning and their parents and carers are being supported.

This is very much a team effort and I would like to thank all partners for their support for our vulnerable learners during this challenging time.

Coronavirus appeal: Don’t order unnecessary prescriptions

GPs and Pharmacists across Greater Glasgow and Clyde have faced a high demand for prescriptions since the COVID-19 outbreak began and the country’s biggest health board is urging patients to not request or fill unnecessary repeat prescriptions.

It’s an appeal that will be echoed across the country.

GP practices and community pharmacies continue to operate. Patients are asked to phone in the first instance for any queries that are not coronavirus-related. For any patients with coronavirus symptoms, they are urged to consult NHS Inform or call NHS24 on 111.

Alan Harrison, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: “A huge thank you to all GP practice and community pharmacy teams who continue to care for patients in extremely challenging circumstances.

“But they are facing an unnecessary strain because individuals are requesting and filling prescriptions when they do not need to.

“That’s why we’re asking the public to please help us and not order unnecessary prescriptions. We’re all in this together.”

Letters: Our NHS

Our NHS is under extraordinary pressure and strain and I implore our government and people to help support our front line staff.

The front line workers are the only people who have to treat people infected with this virus on a personal level. The rest of us just have to stay two metres apart or at home.

We know that our front line staff do not have the protective facilities they need. It is wrong that they have to work in danger and compromise their health and safety while serving the public.

Therefore, I am pleading to the government to ensure our front line staff whether nurses, doctors, police or care workers, have protective masks, clothing and have access to testing kits.

We have seen in Italy and Spain the difficulties that staff have faced and many have lost their lives. This must not happen here, so please protect our front line staff and make sure they have the facilities they need to survive and do the invaluable work they are doing for the public.

#protectthefrontlinestaff

#coronavirus

Foysol Choudhury MBE

Chairman: Edinburgh & Lothians Regional Equality Council | Chairman: Bangladesh Samity Edinburgh. | Founder / Director: Edinburgh Mela. | President: The Guild of Bangladeshi Restaurateurs, Scotland. | General Secretary: Council of Bangladeshis in Scotland.

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.

Coronavirus: New NHS 24 arrangements

Patients worried about symptoms should dial 111 if they need help

Patients with coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms are now asked to dial NHS 24 on 111, day or night, if their symptoms worsen or do not improve after seven days.

Please do NOT call your GP or go to the surgery. If you require a sick note due to coronavirus, you can get this from the NHS Inform website.

This improvement provides patients with a straightforward dedicated route to clinical advice and support, as well as freeing up GP practices to treat and care for all non-COVID-19 health conditions.

Callers to the 111 helpline will be assessed and, if necessary, transferred to a local community hub staffed by clinicians from across the healthcare system to ensure patients get the best possible advice at the right time.

Depending on their assessment, patients may be given advice to help them continue self-isolating at home or be given an appointment to attend a local assessment centre for further treatment.

NHS Inform’s coronavirus webpage is still the fastest way for people to get the latest health advice and information. There is also a free NHS 24 helpline for people without symptoms looking for general information on coronavirus.

For patients who do not have any coronavirus symptoms, they should continue to telephone their GP when open and not call NHS 24.

In the out of hours period, when displaying symptoms other than coronavirus, you should only call 111 if you need urgent assessment and cannot wait until your GP is open.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “This change means that anyone who has coronavirus symptoms and needs additional help or advice can now call the same number any time, day or night, seven days a week.

“As the number of people presenting with symptoms continues to grow, we must adapt to manage the daily growth in demand. As well as ensuring people are getting the right help at the right time, this step will also help ensure GP capacity to provide care for people in the community is protected and that only those cases that need to be admitted to hospital are admitted.”

NHS 24’s Director of Service Delivery Steph Phillips said: “NHS 24 has been at the forefront of supporting Scotland’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, through the NHS Inform website, the special helpline and the 111 service.

“This change will make it easier for people who are concerned about their symptoms to get the help they need as quickly as possible. Please help us to help you.”

NHS Inform’s coronavirus webpage is still the fastest way for people to get the latest health advice and information.

If you need a sick note due to coronavirus, don’t contact your GP or NHS 24. You can download an isolation note directly from NHS Inform.

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

Common symptoms of coronavirus include:

high temperature or fever
cough
shortness of breath

Patients should only call NHS 24 (on 111) if their symptoms:

have not improved after 7 days
are severe or they have shortness of breath
worsen during home isolation

For any other health related concerns, make NHS Inform your first point of contact or call your GP during opening hours. If your GP practice is closed and your query can’t wait you can still call NHS 24 (on 111).

If you don’t have symptoms and are looking for general information on coronavirus, call NHS Inform’s free helpline: 0800 028 2816

Tax Free Grants for the Self-employed?

In an effort to help the current situation for the Self Employed, HEATHER SELF, a Partner at leading accounting and tax advisory firm Blick Rothenberg, makes a number of suggestions which Government could embrace:

“It’s a difficult time for those who are self-employed and believe that they have been left behind. I am sure that this is not the case but it’s up to all of us to work together.

“Most self-employed people who have to make a self assessment return use an accountant so it is up to us to come up with ideas we think will help them and assist the government with its plans and calculations.

“This is what I have attempted to do with the following suggestions which I have sent to HMRC.”

a. Anyone who has commenced self-employment prior to 1 January 2020 will be entitled to a tax-free grant

b. For those who were self-employed in 2018/19 and were still self-employed at 1 January 2020 the initial amount of the grant will be the lower of:

– 50% of the personal allowance claimed in their 2018/19 tax return, and

– 50% of their self-employed income for 2018/19

c. For those who commenced self-employment in 2019/20 the grant will be the lower of:

– 45% of the personal allowance they are entitled to for 2019/20, and

– 50% of their self-employed income for 2019/20

Heather added: “ The grant can be claimed in the 2019/20 tax return which is due to be filed by 31 January 2021. If it produces a repayment, the repayment claim will be processed in the normal way.

“While this would not produce any immediate cash, it would reassure the self-employed that funds they have set aside to pay their taxes could be used to tide them over. Easy access to short term loans may also be needed, but the Government’s existing measures should help with this – and if not, they should be quickly extended.”

Heather said: “ This would get an initial grant of just under £6000 to a large proportion of the self-employed, and the figure would be easy to calculate. Those fortunate to earn more than £125,000 would not qualify, as they do not get the personal allowance.

“Further help will also be needed in the coming weeks – perhaps a more sophisticated system of income support, based on average earnings over the last 3 years, as Norway are proposing. But in the same way that the Chancellor has reassured employees, he needs to get some immediate help to the self-employed.”

The government is expected to make an announecement on support for the self-employed later today.

A message from Volunteer Edinburgh

We are being swamped with offers of help from members of the public.

Our current advice on our dedicated webpage

voled.in/covid

outlines how people can help just now by being a good neighbour, and how they can do this safely.

We are also sharing this information with the various online groups which have formed over the past week.

The challenge going forward will be identifying how to best engage these willing people with organisations who need help. There are obviously masses of issues to consider.

Most volunteer programmes and opportunities in the city have already changed or have been suspended, and will continue to change over the coming days and weeks.

Please think of ways that people will be able to help you in the weeks and months ahead. We will contact you all this week about how we can take this forward.

Thank you,

Paul J Wilson

Chief Officer of Volunteer Edinburgh

How Statutory Sick Pay Works During Coronavirus Pandemic

LEADING legal firm Gilson Gray has issued helpful guidance for employers and employees looking for clarity on Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) as the COVID-19 pandemic begins to affect businesses of all sizes across the UK.

Graham Millar, Employment Law Partner at Gilson Gray, said while it is important to follow Government, Acas and NHS guidelines as the situation develops over the coming weeks, there are some clear steps that can be taken now to manage sickness-related issues.

Graham (above) said: “Employees can qualify for SSP when they are absent because of incapacity. If an employee is experiencing symptoms of the virus and decides to, or is advised to self-isolate, their absence will likely be regarded as an incapacity and they can avail of SSP.

“Recently, the regulations on SSP changed to include an employee who self-isolates in accordance with the Government guidelines. The Government also brought forward emergency legislation which makes SSP payable from the first day of absence.

“It’s good news for smaller companies as well – those with fewer than 250 employees will be reimbursed by the Government for any SSP paid for fourteen days for absences related to the virus.”

Further good news for employees and employers is that those who are advised to self-isolate can obtain a notification from the NHS through 111 which can be used as evidence of absence from work – removing some pressure from GP services.

If employers send staff home to self-isolate following Government guidance, employees will be entitled to SSP. This isn’t the case if employers are taking precautionary measures and insisting employees do not come to work – in this situation employees are entitled to normal pay.

Graham added: “If employees are concerned about coming to work due to COVID-19, allowing employees to work from home can easily resolve the issue. If this isn’t possible, employers will need to consider the current public health advice, including whether it might be discriminatory to refuse employees to work from home.

“It’s important to be mindful and consider employees’ concerns and fears during this turbulent time. As always, the normal rules on annual leave will apply and employees can take holidays during self-isolation or sickness absences, but they won’t be compelled by their bosses to do so.

“Anyone who is not on sick leave can take statutory annual leave, and employers can instruct employees to take statutory leave provided they have given employees the required level of notice – for example if you want someone to take five days’ holiday, you will need to give them ten days’ notice.”

A full version of this guidance is available on https://gilsongray.co.uk/insights/coronavirus-covid-19-qa-for-employers/

The Employment Team at Gilson Gray will continue to publish updates and information for employers and employees on its website News and Insights blog, https://gilsongray.co.uk/news-insights/

All of the teams at Gilson Gray are continuing to maintain the firm’s excellent, high quality service to clients, providing a full range of legal services throughout the pandemic.

For more information on Gilson Gray and its services, please visit: http://gilsongray.co.uk/

WhatsApp groups set up as communities pull together

“Street level” messenger groups are springing up across the UK as communities forge new relationships to help each other through the Coronavirus self-isolation crisis.

Messenger apps such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp are being conscripted to connect whole streets worried about how to survive self-isolation and loneliness.

Young and old are uniting to help those without and those needing help and support at their time of need.

“A neighbour set up a group and we now have 10 of 12 houses on the street subscribed”, explains Jonathan Ratcliffe, who lives on Windermere Avenue in Menston, Yorkshire.

Ratcliffe, who is currently running national office agency Offices.co.uk from home, has been in self-isolation since Monday juggling work and family life.

“We haven’t been to the shops this week, life is testing let’s say! John down the road asked on WhatsApp if anyone needed anything, and 30 minutes later we had bread, bananas and paracetamol – it really helps morale”, explained Jonathan.

Being able to draw on neighbours for help and social interaction is going to become a hallmark of the efforts needed to get the country through the next 12 weeks.

“No one knows where this is going and who might need help. We have a 10-week-old baby with a heart condition, and so we are being extra careful”, added Jonathan. “My neighbours help now will be paid back twice over when we are out of isolation– it’s lovely knowing that there is support on our doorstep should we need it”.

Other groups have sprung up locally in Menston supporting streets and even whole estates.

One such group has been set up covering Menston’s Moorfield Avenue by resident David Williams.

“We are in the process of setting up a WhatsApp group to cover our street,” David explained. “We started by dropping a note through everyone’s door, so they knew who to text to join the group.

“We are then identifying those who need to self-isolate and pairing them up with people who can help out so people can self-organise as much as possible but also stay in touch as things develop.”

Zoe Edwards, who lives in the centre of the village, added: “We have done similar on our road although tricky when some people don’t use or have WhatsApp. We are trying to keep in touch with those people separately”.

The Windermere Avenue group: 10 houses have joined out of 12

18 people have joined the group
Age ranges from 38 to 75
One house currently in self-isolation

Resident Alison Wilson in Menston is using the platform to forward-plan a big party to celebrate the community spirit locally in Menston: “Once this is over, we need a massive big street/village party to cheer ourselves up and thank everyone for their kindness and community spirit”.

“Creating support groups now is really important. Being able to ask for help should you need it is going to be a lifeline for many people, young and old – the love and support I’ve seen on our street for neighbours has been humbling”, concluded Jonathan.

Update from Sainsbury’s Chief Executive Mike Coupe

I wanted to write to you again to update you on the steps we are taking to make sure everyone has access to food and essential items. I’m also sharing more information about how we are supporting our colleagues in these challenging times and how you can help.

An increasing number of you have told me that you’re not always able to get the items that you need when you need them. We are working with our suppliers to get even more stock of essential items and we are adding warehouse capacity on a daily basis.

You will have seen that we put restrictions in place this week to ensure that more products are on shelf for longer.

From Monday 23rd March, we are consolidating our opening hours and all our supermarkets will be open from 8am to 8pm, Monday-Saturday, including those with an Argos store. Sunday opening, Sainsbury’s Local and petrol station opening times will stay the same.

This means we can focus our store colleagues’ time on keeping shelves stocked and serving our customers well during the times that most of you are already shopping.

Last Thursday, we set aside an hour for elderly and vulnerable shoppers in our supermarkets. Many of you have told me how much you appreciated this and that you would like this to become a regular event. Some of you also said we should extend this to members of our hardworking NHS and Social Care workers. And we will be doing just that.

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, all our supermarkets will dedicate 8am – 9am to serving elderly, disabled and vulnerable customers, as well as NHS and Social Care workers.

They will just need to show us their pass or ID when they visit. Some of you fed back that you couldn’t find what you wanted during that hour, so we will try our best to have essential items on shelf for these customers.

We will be working to keep our shelves well stocked and would encourage customers to arrive throughout the hour to prevent queues forming and to help everyone keep a safe distance.

Hundreds of you have written to me to thank our amazing colleagues who are working around the clock to serve our customers. A number of you have also shared your concerns for the safety and wellbeing of our colleagues.

I want you to know that we are doing all we can to support everyone who works in our business.

We have committed to paying all colleagues who are unwell or need to self-isolate for the full period of fourteen days. We have also committed to paying vulnerable and elderly colleagues in full if the government decides they should isolate for 12 weeks.

We hope this will go some way to helping our teams through this uncertain time and we are looking at other ways to thank our colleagues for their extraordinary efforts.

To keep our colleagues safe, I need to ask again for your help. Please do your best to stand one metre away from colleagues in our stores where you can. And we would prefer you to pay with card rather than cash at our tills.

Please also treat our colleagues and other customers with kindness and respect. These are unprecedented circumstances and our colleagues are being asked to come to work every day while so many others are being asked to stay at home.

We all need them to keep coming to work to feed the nation – a small thank you goes a really long way.

I hope you will join us in looking out for each other and the communities that we serve.

Best wishes

Mike