It’s hard to miss the fact that the country is preparing for Coronavirus (also known as Covid-19), but whilst there’s a lot of information available, there’s not a lot of advice tailored to the needs of small, local third sector organisations.
This webpage aims to direct you to the information that is available, and to fill some of the gaps.
If you are able to, please follow the below advice within your organisations building to help keep reminding everyone:
Make sure you have supplies available for people to wash and dry their hands in line with the advice on the Poster..
There are a number of webpages giving up to date, reliable information on Coronavirus. Given the advice is changing fairly frequently, we recommend you visit these for the most up to date information.
If you have any questions, or ideas on other information that it would be useful to add to this webpage, then please contact us by emailing corona@vas-swindon.org or calling us on 01793 538398
What's happening in Swindon?
The Swindon Borough Council website has a page giving up to date information on Coronavirus cases in Swindon (and links to many of the websites mentioned below):
https://swindon.gov.uk/coronavirus/
Coronavirus – Compassionate Swindon. Voluntary Action Swindon, Volunteer Centre Swindon and Swindon Borough Council working together in these uncertain times to help those who need it in the local Swindon community. For more information on how you can help or get help please click here
Coronavirus Joint Statement from Sanford House Voluntary Sector organisations can be found here
The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of a new continuous cough and/or high temperature. If you have these symptoms, however mild, stay at home and do not leave your house for 7 days from when your symptoms started. You do not need to call NHS 111 to go into self-isolation. If your symptoms worsen during home isolation or are no better after 7 days, contact NHS 111 online. If you have no internet access, you should call NHS 111. For a medical emergency dial 999.
The government has announced that there is now a telephone number for people in England and Wales who do not have any access to the internet, or who have difficulty with the digital portals. The Coronavirus Testing Call Centre is available to assist eligible individuals through the process of booking and taking a test for Coronavirus and can be accessed by phoning 119 between the hours of 7am – 11pm. The service can be accessed by people with hearing or speech difficulties by calling 18001 119 (in England and Wales).
If English isn’t your first language the Doctors of the World website has the guidance information available in alternative languages.
Coronavirus and your wellbeing
Mind are offering advice around how to help your wellbeing if you are required to self-isolate or worried about the coronavirus and covers planning for staying at home or indoors, taking care of your mental health and wellbeing, and a checklist to see if you are ready to stay at home for two weeks.
Parkinson’s UK have gathered the facts and guidance to help answer some of your most common questions about coronavirus and Parkinson’s.
Larger third sector organisations will find useful information on the government’s webpage for businesses. Some of the information will also be relevant to smaller organisations and to volunteers as well as staff.
This includes information on when employees should stay away from work, how to respond to employees who need to take time off work, and how to clean premises after someone develops Coronavirus.
Health and Care
The government advice for social and community care providers may be useful to a number of third sector organisations:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-residential-care-supported-living-and-home-care-guidance
The full list of government guidance can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-list-of-guidance
NCVO – Your organisation and coronavirus
This information is intended to help you decide what steps you and your organisation may need to take in light of the spread of the covid-19 virus.
- updates on sick leave in line with the government’s current recommendations
- a new section on immediate actions to be taken in relation to managing finances
- a new section on planning for staff and volunteers to work from home should the government recommend this step in future.
https://www.ncvo.org.uk/practical-support/information/coronavirus
Further information can also be found here on the know how section on the NCVO website.
What can small voluntary and community organisations do to prepare for Coronavirus?
At this stage, one of the most useful things that organisations can do is to think about how their organisation will cope if a high proportion of their staff or volunteers become ill or unavailable at the same time, and what steps you might take to avoid this happening. Many of these steps involve reducing the time people spend together in order to reduce the chances of Coronavirus spreading between them (and affecting a lot of the people you work with at the same time)
Remember that people may be unable to work even if they have not become ill themselves – it could be, for example, because schools have closed and people need to stay at home to care for their children or grandchildren.
So here are some quick questions that Cumbria CVS have created to get your thinking started: Click to download PDF
The Wiltshire Community Foundation has launched a Coronavirus Response Fund to help voluntary groups across the county deal with effects of the pandemic.