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Coronavirus (COVID-19) update and advice - Tuesday 24 March

The Wrekin Housing Group is taking active steps in response to the Coronavirus outbreak.

C-19 Update – moving to essential services – what this means for you - Tuesday 24 March

Yesterday evening the government announced further measures to enforce social distancing and reduce the spread of Coronavirus. As a result we are now moving to provide essential services only.

We will continue to provide:

  • Essential safety services, keeping you safe in your home. This includes essential gas and electrical systems work, ensuring that the drains are not blocked, fixing any significant leaks and that the lifts are working.
  • Care services, including the delivery of all care plans and associated catering provision. We will also continue to respond to our pull cord and button alarm systems.
  • A support service to our most vulnerable customers, including the over 70s.
  • Money matters and debt advice for all customers.

These actions have been taken in line with government advice and are designed to help ensure the safety and wellbeing of our customers, service users and staff. .

The situation may change quickly so please continue to check www.wrekin.com/coronavirus for updates. You can also check our social media channels for updates and further information. If you would like to receive information directly you can sign up for emails. Just let us know by emailing coronavirus@wrekin.com.

We appreciate your ongoing understanding throughout this difficult time.

Friday 20 March - C-19 update

C-19 Update from Group Chief Executive Wayne Gethings

Wrekin is meeting the challenges of COVID-19 in a number of ways. This week we have experienced some changes in demand but have continued to deliver our full range of services.

There have been some changes to how we do things. We have taken a number of steps in line with government advice on social distancing including:

  • Our offices, retail outlets and now closed to the public. They remain open to staff and services can be accessed over the telephone or online.
  • Organised social activities in extra care and retirement living settings have stopped
  • We have introduced some visiting restrictions in residential and nursing care settings

Wrekin continues to make a difference to people’s lives as we deliver our full range of services and we would like to thank you all for letting us know, when you contact us, if you are self–isolating. This is to ensure that we continue to ensure the safety and well-being of our customers and staff.

We are continuing to share updates and useful information on our website www.wrekin.com/coronavirus. If you would like to receive updates directly please email coronavirus@wrekin.com to let us know.

Thursday 19 March - C-19 update

C-19 update - your rent - Thursday 19 March

The emergence of Coronavirus Covid-19 is bringing big challenges to us all locally and across the county. Our priority is to maintain the safety and wellbeing of our customers, service users and staff.

Services you receive

As you would expect there will be changes to how we deliver services and if you contact us to access a service we will be asking you if you are self-isolating. This is to help us keep customers and staff safe. While there will be changes to some services much of our work continues, particularly around our statutory duties, so you will continue to receive programmed communications from us.

Changes we have made

In line with government advice around social distancing and an enhanced focus on hygiene we have made some changes:

  • Our offices, community centres and retail units have closed to customers and the general public. We are offering many services by telephone or online
  • We are increasing the cleaning of communal areas in flats, sheltered housing, extra care and residential care settings
  • We are ensuring that staff have appropriate equipment so that we can deliver services in a safe way
  • We are restricting visiting to our residential and nursing care facilities

Your rent

Many of you will be aware of government statements yesterday and more information is expected today around rents. We are responding appropriately and would like to remind all customers that you should still be paying your rent during this period. We are aware that many of you, and many others across the community, are facing great uncertainty so we have a range of services available to help provide support and advice to our customers on financial and welfare matters. Please contact your housing executive if you are experiencing difficulties.

Keeping you updated

Please continue to check our website www.wrekin.com and social media channels for further updates. If you would like to receive updates directly we can send you an email. Please email coronavirus@wrekin.com to sign up for updates.

Tuesday 17 March - C-19 update

Covid-19 is big challenge for everyone locally, across the country and around the world. At Wrekin we are taking the safety and wellbeing of our customers, service users and staff, particularly the most vulnerable in those groups, very seriously. There will be changes to how we deliver our services in the coming days and weeks but we have in place active measures to ensure that we continue to deliver a quality service.

Please check back here and on our social media channels for further updates. If you would like to have updates emailed to you directly please let us know by emailing coronavirus@wrekin.com.

Friday 13 March 2020 - Coronavirus COVID-19

The World Health Organisation have declared a global pandemic and the UK government has now moved to the delay phase.

We want to share with you how we are now approaching the coronavirus situation and what that means for you and the services that you receive.

Our first priority is that we safeguard our customers, particularly vulnerable service users, and our staff in the best way we can and to achieve this we are acting in line with current government advice.

This means that we will be continuing to deliver our services as usual.

Government advice is that we should all be taking hand hygiene very seriously and washing our hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. We should also be making sure that we ‘Catch it, bin it, kill it’ when coughing and disposing of tissues.

The government are also advising that if anyone gets a new cough and or a fever that they should immediately self-isolate for 7 days. If you are a customer and you are self-isolating you should inform us only when you need to contact us.

This situation is fast moving so you should refer back here for further updates.

Further advice on the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak is also available at:

NHS website

Government website

11 March 2020

We are taking a 'business as usual' approach until government advice changes. Our core responsibility is to ensure the health and safety of our customers, service users and staff. We are mindful that some of our customers and service users may have medical conditions that could put them at a higher risk so if you would prefer that we made changes to whether we attend your home please let us know.

It is really important that we all follow the government guidance with regard to our hygiene practices and medical advice.

You should:

  • Wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
  • "Catch it, bin it, kill it" – sneeze or cough in to a tissue and dispose of the tissue as soon as you can
  • If you have travelled to a virus hotspot, or if you think you have symptoms of the virus call NHS 111 (do not go to the doctors or a hospital) and take the recommended action

We are keeping the situation under review by monitoring government advice daily and we will adjust our approach as and when the situation changes nationally and locally.

Further updates will be posted here on our website and on social media (Facebook.com/WrekinHG and Twitter.com/WrekinHG).

20th March 2020