Home Local News COVID-19 Update 17/04/20

COVID-19 Update 17/04/20

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Red Rose Lancashire

SkemNews received a message from County Councillor John Fillis. We have shared the full message below:

In Lancashire as of yesterday (16/4/20) we had 2,147 confirmed cases and we are seeing early signs that our numbers are following the national trend albeit a week or so behind as the virus travels from south to north.

Temporary morgue
The temporary morgue facility at BAE Warton has now been built and is ready for final checks. This work was completed in less than a week, which is a testament to the hard work of our staff who have led on this project.

The administration and operation of the facility have been comprehensively stress-tested over the past number of days, and over the weekend final checks will be made on site. It will be fully operational from Monday.

As I mentioned earlier, we have had encouraging signs that the social distancing measures followed by the public has had a significant impact on the number of coronavirus related deaths in the county. Clearly this is an ever changing situation, and at this stage while we believe that we will need to draw on some of this capacity, depending on the actual impact on our communities, it may ultimately not be needed – let’s hope that becomes the reality.

Staff who will be working at the facility have been fully trained, and funeral directors have been fully briefed. At all times our aim is to treat the deceased with dignity and respect.

We are very grateful to BAE Systems for their support throughout this challenging project. They are writing to people who live in the immediate vicinity of the facility, and we have provided a briefing note to local elected members and other stakeholders who interface with the public, such as the local neighbourhood policing team, which will answer key questions local people may have.

PPE
PPE remains the top priority in the county, and the country as a whole. You will be aware that there are ongoing issues with supplies, and we are doing everything we can to help bridge the gap for providers who are unable to access PPE.

Through the Local Resilience Forum (LRF) we received an order from central government and, on behalf of the LRF, we are expecting to receive next week the first tranche a £2.1m order we have sourced from abroad. Initially this was intended to be used to build a central reserve of PPE, but the current level of need means it will be put directly into the system.

Whilst this will provide much needed support for the sector, it will not meet everyone’s needs so this remains a challenging issue. We have today raised further orders for PPE and we are continuing to look for other sources as necessary.

Supporting vulnerable people
This is a particularly difficult time for our care leavers in the county so to provide them with additional support we have taken the decision to match the £20 uplift in Universal Credit. This will provide them with extra money at a time when they need it most to pay for vital necessities. We will review this in a month.

Campaigns
Last week we launched a recruitment drive for carers, to help boost our skill base. This has already attracted more than 300 applications. This is a fantastic response by everyone involved and will go some way to easing the pressure on our services.
Next week we will be launching another campaign highlighting the urgent need to recruit more foster carers. Now more than ever, we need foster carers to look after the children we care for and help them to have a better chance in life.

Community Fund
A Lancashire emergency fund, which already has £510,000 pledged, has been created to support the most vulnerable people affected by the coronavirus across the county. Lancashire County Council has contributed £170,000 on behalf of ourselves and district councils to the fund.

Working in partnership with the National Emergencies Trust and Lancashire Resilience Forum, the Community Foundation for Lancashire is managing all donations received.

The fund is awarding grants to support community organisations providing vital services like foodbanks, delivery of food and care packages to vulnerable people, telephone and online services offering friendship and support to help reduce isolation, emotional and mental health support and financial inclusion, support to access benefits and debt advice.

Organisations can apply for grants by visiting lancsfoundation.org.uk/…/lancashire-covid-19-commun…

Further details on how to donate can be found at uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/lancashirecovid19

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