Carrbridge Helpline: 01479 722101, 8am to 8pm
This is to let you know that community of Carrbridge is working together and coordinating a group of verified volunteers, who are available to support anyone who is vulnerable and in need during the current Covid-19 outbreak.
If you are self-isolating and want non-medical assistance, then we are here to help and this leaflet gives you the information you need.
If you require any support at all with:
- FOOD AND GROCERY SHOPPING
- PRESCRIPTION OR MEDICINE COLLECTION
- A FRIENDLY PHONE CALL - JUST TO HAVE A BLETHER
- DOG WALKING
Please call Carrbridge helpline: 01479 722101, 8am to 8pm
One of our friendly telephone volunteers will eb happy to help you with what you need.
Your Mail will still be delivered BUT please DON’T come to the door when the postie delivers mail. They are not being rude, and must avoid contact to be able to continue. When they call to deliver a parcel, open the door and stay back. They will deposit your parcel and walk away. No signature is required at this time.
Medical Advice or Assistance
Grantown and Aviemore Medical Practice would like to reassure patients that their teams will still be here for you during this unsettling time. We will just be delivering care a bit differently, in order to protect the most vulnerable in our community.
If you are acutely unwell and need medical advice the same day, please phone the surgery first. You will be phoned back by a member of the team to assess if you can be assisted by telephone advice, a video consultation or if you need to be seen for a physical examination. Grantown Medical Practice: 01479 872484 Aviemore Medical Practice: 01479 810258
It is really important that you don't attend the surgery with a cough or fever - please phone the surgery first and if it is medically necessary to see you, the team will make special arrangements to see you in order to prevent the risk of passing on infection to other patients or staff.
If you have internet access, there are daily updates on Grantown & Aviemore Medical Practice website and Facebook page.
There is also lots of self-help advice on the NHS inform website www.nhsinform.scot NHS 24 (phone 111) also offer phone advice if you are unsure.
Additional local numbers, helplines / websites that may be useful:
| Carrbridge Spar * | 01479 841687 | 7.00am - 5.30pm Mon - Fri 7.30am - 5.30pm Sat 8.30am - 5.30pm Sun |
| Lloyd’s Pharmacy (Grantown) * | 01479 872006 | 9.45am - 1pm, 2pm -4.30pm Closed Sunday |
| Boot’s Pharmacy (Aviemore) * | 01479 810259 | 10am - 4pm Mon - Sat 11am - 4pm Sun |
| Aviemore BP Filling Station * | 01479 811791 | 24hrs |
| Age UK | 0800 678 1602 See Age UK’s website for coronavirus info | 8am - 7pm |
| Samaritans | 116 123 | 24 hours |
| Alzheimer's Scotland | 0808 808 3000 | 24 hours |
| Childline | 0800 1111 | 24 hours |
| Breathing Space | 0800 83 85 87 | 6pm - 2am Mon to Thu 7pm - 7am Fri to Sun |
| Mikey’s Line | 07779 303 303 Texts only, not calls | 6pm - 10pm Mon to Thu 7pm - 7am Fri to Sun |
| * Subject to Change | ||
Carrbridge Response to Covid-19 - 22/03/2020
The village is finalising efforts to set up volunteer support. There will be posters up soon in the Spar, Garage and Notice Boards.
It will also be on Facebook Carrbridge News and the Carrbridge website.
This notice will give phone numbers of who to contact to offer yourself as a volunteer. You should feel NO pressure to put your name forward.
However if you can volunteer, here are some of the things the community will need help with for you to think about:
- Food and Grocery shopping
- Collecting prescriptions / medicines
- Having a friendly chat over the phone or through Internet (Skype, Facetime)
- Dog walking for those who are unwell
Have a think about what you can do and look out for the call for help soon.
PLEASE do not submit your name or phone number to us online - we NEED you to speak to us by phone as there are a number of questions you will be asked.
Thank you for your patience.
Carrbridge Response Team
Update 19/03/20 - Action and Support for Communities in Badenoch & Strathspey during the current outbreak of Covid-19 in Scotland and the UK
This is a joint message from Highland Council Elected Members for B&S, Liz Cowie (THC Ward Manager) and the VABS Team.
We are getting in touch to reassure you that we are all working very hard to keep everyone safe in the community and within the next 24 hours will provide a framework of concrete and networked support for the current and future volunteer effort taking place in all of the 12 communities in the strath.
You will have received the Highland Council request for information on local community group activity that was sent out to you yesterday afternoon. Thank you to those who have already provided information, which we will use to support the co-ordination of group effort and communication.
We appreciate that some of the B&S communities have or are already putting plans in place and we would like to work with you to ensure best practice for the safeguarding and support systems for volunteers, which needs to be as robust as possible and follow UK and Scottish Government guidelines.
We are working (at pace – which seems to be the current phrase) to develop and put in place a comprehensive framework which can be rolled out in each of the communities, to ensure that there is support for the vulnerable and those in need, while protecting those many people who have selflessly stepped forward to volunteer on behalf of their community.
For those communities who wish to take it up, this will involve:
- Setting up of a dedicated phone line which requires a support system behind it of volunteers to answer calls. This will be provided free for the next 3 months at least, to each community via the Ward 20 Discretionary Budget. VABS will manage this with each community.
- Templates for A5 leaflets to go out to all households with appropriate information about the community service and other official health advice and support services. Printing can be supplied or costs reimbursed.
- Templates for volunteer management of those involved in the telephone operation, and or helping to deliver a community ‘service’ eg organising shopping, picking up medication, dog walking for those who are unable through illness/self-isolation, befriending calls, passing on updated Foodbank information etc
- Details of properties that lie within each CC boundary area
- Scripts for telephone volunteers who will need to deal with a variety of calls, so the message is consistent across the service.
All of the above documents are being worked on currently and will be with you by tomorrow. The individual community telephone lines can be set up fairly promptly, so details can go into your leaflets.
Please liaise with VABS in the first instance for more information and advice on how to set up this framework if you wish to roll it out in your community.
Update 17/03/2020 from The Highland Council
Dear Community Council
RE: Coronavirus COVID 19 advice and guidance
I appreciate that a many of you may have questions relating to the developing picture around COVID 19 and how you as a Community Council should respond. The Council has been working closely with its partners to prepare for how best to respond to coronavirus. In this we have been following national advice and guidelines.
The picture is rapidly changing. The Council has taken the decision to suspend all non essential staff travel and also any planned public meetings and engagement sessions for the foreseeable future to support the national efforts to delay the spread of Coronavirus and to enable staff to focus on core activity to support our ongoing response. The focus is now on the delivery of essential and statutory services and this includes caring for our most vulnerable people.
We have received queries from some of you asking for advice and guidance on how Community Councils should respond. In terms of your meetings, based upon the latest advice released by government yesterday, unnecessary social contact should be minimised and people should avoid gatherings. We would therefore recommend that you do not meet together as a Community Council.
You may wish to consider meeting virtually through Skype (some rural Community Councils already do this), particularly if you have essential business to discuss. If you choose to do this, please continue to minute any decisions.
Should you have any events or activities planned in the coming weeks that would be likely to attract a larger group of people together, then we would suggest you consider postponing these.
A number of you have also contacted us regarding how you can be of help within your local community and prepare to support vulnerable individuals who are having to self-isolate. Arrangements are currently being made to co-ordinate local voluntary activity and we will be in touch with further details for your community shortly. We appreciate all of these offers but we want to ensure that all effort is co-ordinated effectively to ensure that we keep volunteers and communities safe. Without proper coordination, there could be inadvertent spread of the virus to vulnerable groups.
In the meantime, the British Red Cross Community Reserve Volunteer service supports volunteering within the local community and anybody who is interested can sign up at redcross.org.uk/reserves
We will continue to share information with you as the picture changes and any national advice changes. We will also be in touch regarding local resilience arrangement.
Should you have any immediate queries or offers of support, please get in touch through the policy mailbox ([email protected]) or through your Ward Manager.
Coronavirus update 15/03/2020
The Highland Council will very probably make announcements this week as will the UK and Scottish governments. The CC is in contact with THC and taking guidance. This is not like a major A9 crash or local emergency for example where, blankets, hot drinks, warmth and shelter require coordination. In this case we have to be very careful with physical contact. It will be THC that will lead on crisis management, their Chief Executive along with a large team are working on this. As we understand it there are plans for local resilience teams which the CC will help to recruit and coordinate.
We know there will be no shortage of volunteers.
The situation is changing by the moment but once we know more we will say.
Carrbridge and Vicinity Community Council