Derbyshire Safeguarding Adults Board (DSAB) have a number of leaflets and posters available designed to inform both the public and professionals how to recognise and report abuse and neglect in Derbyshire.

The posters and leaflets are available in different languages and with a choice of images, please see the website for the full selection: https://www.derbyshiresab.org.uk/what-is-abuse/how-to-report-abuse.aspx

If you would like to order any hard copies of the Derbyshire SAB’s safeguarding posters or leaflets, please email DerbyshireSAB@derbyshire.gov.uk with the quantity required and the postal address to which they should be sent.

Posters and leaflets can also be downloaded and printed from the DSAB website: https://www.derbyshiresab.org.uk/what-is-abuse/how-to-report-abuse.aspx

Volunteers at Blythe House Hospicecare in the High Peak have provided over 800 support visits to local people who are elderly, vulnerable or isolated during the coronavirus outbreak. 

The Community Volunteer team has been on hand to help with tasks including shopping, prescription collections, transport to medical appointments, telephone companionship and pet walking, over the last three months.

Dedicated volunteers have also collected personal protective equipment, kindly donated by local individuals and businesses, for the hospice’s nurses and healthcare assistants to continue providing palliative and end of life care safely.

The Community Volunteer programme provides support and companionship to Blythe House patients, who are affected by life-limiting illnesses such as cancer, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and neurological conditions like motor neurone disease.

Following the lockdown announcement in March, the team offered to help anyone across the local community, who needed extra support during the unprecedented circumstances.

Volunteers helped to spread the word about the service by giving their time, in-line with Government exercise restrictions, to post over 5,000 Here to Help leaflets in more than 300 residential streets and 65 essential shops.  

Vicci Wild and Julie Forrest have taken the huge task of coordinating the volunteer efforts across the High Peak, including in Buxton, Chapel-en-le-Frith, Chinley, Combs, Dove Holes, Furness Vale, Hayfield, Longnor, New Mills, Quarnford, Tunstead Milton and Whaley Bridge. 

Vicci said: ‘We send our sincere and heartfelt thanks to our volunteers who have gone above and beyond over the last few, difficult months, to support local people who are in need. Volunteers have been creative in thinking of substitutions for items on a shopping list that were not available; returning twice to the pharmacy for prescription mix ups; phoning daily to a vulnerable person with limited support to check they are OK; and so much more.

‘We want our volunteers to know that they have not just been filling requests for medication pickups, filling transportation needs, filling cupboards and pantries; they are filling hearts. Their simple gestures of kindness resonate across our community.  Just knowing that this service exists is enough to get some people through.’   

Above – Photos of local volunteers undertaking tasks:

• Jon Davey walks Stanley in Buxton [owner self-isolated for 12 weeks]
• Liz Burns provides transport to The Christie hospital for a patient to have chemotherapy treatment
• Denise Bloom provides telephone support

Julie added: ‘When lockdown was announced, we were not quite sure what the community response would look like, but we could not be prouder of our fantastic team of volunteers and supporters! Our flexible team, which has grown from 22 members to almost 50 since March, has ensured that every single request for help has been filled.

‘We listen to the needs of those around us, and adapt our services to fill those needs in the here and now. Sixty-one of the families that the Community Volunteer team is helping have had no prior connection to the hospice. The sense that we are in our community, for our community has never been clearer.’

Read more about the hospice’s services during the coronavirus pandemic: https://blythehousehospice.org.uk/keeping-you-safe-information-on-coronavirus/ 

Find out more about the Community Volunteer team, including how to volunteer: https://blythehousehospice.org.uk/community-volunteer-programme/

Health, social care and voluntary sector organisations across Derbyshire and Derby are coming together during Carers Week to share the message that #CarersMatter

The COVID 19 pandemic has been hard for everyone, but it’s been especially tough if you look after a family member or friend who relies on you for support.

However, local services are still here to offer support to carers, over the phone and via online groups and events.

If the person you care for lives in Derbyshire, for information, advice and support contact Derbyshire Carers Association.

Due to the current situation Derbyshire Carers Association are unable to do their usual activities for Carers that they have done in the past, so their engement team has been working hard to come up with a host of alternative Carers week activities that can be safely done from home.

To find out more about these activities and how to join in please visit the Derbyshire Carers Association website: https://www.derbyshirecarers.co.uk/carers-week-2020

The Derbyshire Community Response Unit can offer additional help at this time.

Find out more and how to register here: bit.ly/CommunityResponseUnit

The Joined Up Care Derbyshire website provides information, resources and service updates for patients and members of the public during the Covid-19 outbreak. If you cannot locate the local health or social care information you require please contact Healthwatch Derbyshire via phone 01773 880786 or text 07957 149279, Monday to Friday, 10am to 3:30pm.

https://joinedupcarederbyshire.co.uk/public-info-covid-19

The Active at Home booklet is for those that are shielding in regards to physical activity they can do at home.

There is lots of useful information around physical activity that can be done at home safely along with telephone numbers to different services.

This booklet has been developed to support older people and those who are shielded to stay active and healthy at home.

Being active is good for our physical and mental wellbeing. This is why we should all try to move regularly, including exercises to help stay strong and steady. This particularly applies to those of us who have health conditions or are older. Due to coronavirus we are all staying home more, so it is important that we find ways to build activity into our day, every day.

We have all been asked to stay at home as much as possible. This can be frustrating and upsetting, and it can be harder to be active when you can’t do your normal daily activities. This guide will help you to find ways to build activity into your day.

Click HERE to download the booklet.

Derbyshire County Council survey to capture the impact of COVID-19 on the voluntary and community sector and other charitable organisations

Message from Derbyshire County Council:

We are aware that the voluntary and community sector (VCS) have been absolutely essential in continuing the support to the vulnerable throughout the pandemic. As economic recovery plans are being developed by the Local Enterprise Partnership and within Economic Regeneration and Employment & Skills teams at Derbyshire County Council, we are keen to try to capture some of the experiences of your organisations so that it can inform our next steps and understanding of what provision and resources might be needed moving forward.

A Survey Monkey of 10 questions has been developed, and we would be extremely thankful if you could complete it on behalf of your VCS and charitable/support organisation.

The link to the survey can be found here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/XYVDLL7

We would like the survey to have been completed by Friday 26th June please.

Community Chesterfield in partnership with the University of Derby presents

A Free Online training session: Mental Health Toolkit – Wellbeing & Work

Tuesday 16th June 3.00-4.00pm

Booking Essential

A FREE online session for staff & volunteers from Community & Voluntary sector organisations or groups in Chesterfield and/or students based at St Helena’s Campus Chesterfield.

The current coronavirus (COVID-19) has created a time of uncertainty and concern that is affecting people’s mental health. It is essential that individuals have the tools to manage their mental health and wellbeing and to feel able to support others too. Therefore, the University of Derby Online Learning Department has developed a mental health toolkit webinar, to assist employers and employees.

Good health and wellbeing are highlighted in the United Nation’s sustainable development goals. However good wellbeing cannot be achieved without good self-care, as identified in the University of Derby’s research.

This course will introduce;

1. The current state of mental health in the workplace

2. Research findings

3. Importance of self-care

4. Exercises that can be practiced by busy workers in their workplace.

Yasuhiro Kotera is Academic Lead for Counselling, Psychotherapy & Psychology at University of Derby Online Learning. As an Accredited Psychotherapist, he has worked with diverse client issues in Japan, America, and the UK. His research focuses on self-care and mental health in workers and students in the healthcare settings. Currently he is exploring interventions to support self-compassion and self-care.

Dr Pauline Green is Course Director at the University of Derby Online Learning Department. She is also a registered Social Worker with Social Work England and a member of the British Association of Social Workers. Her research on emotional resilience has been published in the British Journal of Social Work and presented at conferences and seminars both nationally and internationally. Pauline delivers resilience training for health and social care sector staff.

If you’d like to book a space on the course, please click here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mental-health-toolkit-wellbeing-work-tickets-106079350192

If you need any further information, do get in touch with us on community@dva.org.uk.