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Hulme, and Rusholme Neighbourhood round-up 16th November 2020

As a Neighbourhood we are working together to make sure that key information is shared, to support the people most at risk during this time. Click on the web links embedded below for further info.

Please let me know if there’s any gaps in info needed at a Neighbourhood level, or any key issues or ​ ​ patterns that you are finding with the people you work with, or other relevant info to share. ​ If you have concerns that someone may be most at risk, please contact:

● Care Navigator Service: self-referrals possible via email (referrals from organisations also by ​ ​ ​ phone, 0300 303 9650); for people dealing with more complex issues; multi-agency approach. ● Be Well: referrals and social prescribing via any organisation & GPs; email or 0161-470 7120. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ● City Council’s Community Response helpline: 0800 234 6123, email or text ​ ​ ​ 07860 022876 (messages replied to by next working day). Help with Debt, Bills and Borrowing. ​ ​

Mutual aid groups and volunteering

There are still lots of people across , Moss Side and Rusholme that need support.

● Covid mutual aid groups are coordinating invaluable support at a local level for neighbours by neighbours. National info, support & guidance is available here. Want to start a mutual aid ​ ​ group, or take one to the next level? Support available from buzz, (Central Locality) Health ​ Development Coordinators, and Manchester Community Central. ​ Manchester map of local mutual aid groups

● Mutual aid group organiser/admin? Share learning, ask & answer questions to other organisers. ​ ​ ● Public sector organisation looking for volunteers? Register needs with MCRVIP, or volunteer. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ● 3,400 Manchester volunteers ready for your VCSE group or organisation - what do you need? Request or offer support. Support on managing volunteers, capacity-building & more. ​ ​ ​

Social isolation and mental health

● Online peer support community called Side by Side run by Mind, where you can share your ​ experiences and hear from others. When it comes to wellbeing, other people matter. Evidence shows that good relationships with family, friends and the wider community, are important for mental wellbeing. Connect with others in similar situations: •If you’re part of a group of people who are all self-isolating, group updates on your situation could also act as an informal support network. •You could join a peer support community like Side by Side. •If ​ ​ you're going online more than usual or seeking peer support on the internet, it's important to look after your online wellbeing: online mental health. ​ ​ ● Manchester Cares. As the City, and country, goes into a further state of lockdown, we ​ continue to support older neighbours from across Manchester to feel connected, in what is already a disconnecting time. It's a time filled with worry and uncertainty, and whilst we all look to get on with ‘life as normal’ as best we can, let's keep sticking together and spending time with one another virtually and over the phone. If you think you could spare an hour a week to sing with us at Choir Club, throw some shapes with us at Dance Club or take some chill ​ time at yoga...sign up. ​ ​ ​ ● Short led meditations in nature available online from four to 15 minutes long, and an A-Z of ​ ​ ​ Mindfulness and Nature Connections with access to free illustrated downloadable guides.

● New COVID-19 helpline for Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic families. It’s called Boloh, which ​ ​ means ‘speak’ in many languages. Barnados is encouraging BAME children, young people and families affected by Covid-19, to speak to them about their worries, problems & stresses. Monday-Friday, 1-8pm on 0800 1512605, or webchat. Staff talk English, Hindi and Urdu. ​ ​ ● Mental health support in for children and young people. ​ ● New LGBT telephone befriending programme Rainbow Brew Buddies: aims to reduce ​ ​ ​ loneliness and isolation for LGBT people across Greater Manchester who may have reduced opportunities to make social connections due to pandemic or other circumstances in their life. After 8 sessions over one or two months you will graduate from the programme and be given access to our range of LGBT Foundation groups. We are particularly looking to support people who are: over 50, BAME, on the at-risk COVID-19 list, disabled, seeking asylum or refuge, on a low income or are unemployed. More info, email or call 0345 3 30 30 30 – you will hear back ​ ​ ​ ​ from us within two weeks. If you know of someone who could benefit from this service and you require information to pass on to them, get in touch though we cannot make an initial call to them without their permission.

Partner updates

● Partnership meetings! After a long break from our previously regular Neighbourhood ​ meetings, the next one - focussing on health inequalities - is set for 25th November, 1-3pm. It’s open to VCSE organisations & groups working on health, plus GPs, other health services & the statutory sector. Details are circulated on the HMSR Partnership mailing list; drop us a line ​ if you’re not on this already & want to be with details of your organisation/service and role.

● The Frontline Workers group has produced a leaflet on food provision in the Neighbourhood ​ ​ ​ for those most at risk, how to go out safely and support available. It has already been ​ ​ distributed at flu drop-in clinics, health checks and Be Well events, as well as social media. Please share and if you’d like to print some out, the latest version gets updated as covid ​ ​ restrictions change.

● African & Caribbean Mental Health Services (ACMHS) in addition to their services, has added ​ ​ ​ two new projects: singing together to improve your mood & much more - more info; and ​ ​ Music for Wellbeing - learn guitar, bass, drums or keyboard online - more info. ​ ​ ● Europia has identified that Polish and Lithuanian communities in the UK are getting less access ​ to existing support and social care due to lack of awareness about and discussion of the illness. Do you or someone you know struggle to remember what was happening a day or week ago, recall facts from the conversations, dates & meetings without any struggle? Do you feel low or have difficulty concentrating? Can you observe any of these symptoms in yourself or someone you know, your close friends or family members? These and many others may be the signs of dementia and this is not just a natural part of ageing. If you are Polish or Lithuanian and think you are living with dementia or know or care for someone with signs of the illness, we want to hear from you now. For more info, to share your experiences, to start a conversation about dementia or volunteer please contact Europia now. Email, or call 0161 541 2686. More info. ​ ​ ​ ​ ● Dementia walks: gentle stroll around , having a chat and connecting with ​ nature. Afterwards we will head into the learning studio to create some journey sticks to reminisce about our lovely walk. More info/booking email or call Katie from City of Trees on ​ th​ th 0161 872 1660. Every second Tuesday of every month: 8 ​ Dec, 12 ​ Jan etc until July 2021. ​ ​

● Cornbrook GP practice is a partner in the new Indigo Gender Service is a Greater Manchester ​ based pilot for a new way of delivering trans and non-binary healthcare. More info. ​ ​ ● COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund: One Manchester is currently inviting expressions of ​ interest particularly to support organisations in the following areas: ○ Food – ensuring residents have access to safe, healthy and sustainable supply of food ○ Financial resilience – supporting local provision that assists our customers cope with financial challenges ○ Social isolation & wellbeing – ensuring residents have access to a friendly ear to support them, opportunities for meaningful contact, & activity that promote good mental & physical health during the pandemic, within the limits of social distancing/self-isolation.

In other news...

● Limited covid vaccination programme: GPs told via the media to prepare. Priority groups list. ​ ​ ​ ​ ● More local Test and Trace sites for Manchester this winter to help Manchester through ​ COVID-19. If you have COVID-19 symptoms, book a free test by ringing 119 or visit nhs.uk/coronavirus where you’ll be offered a testing site based on your postcode and needs. ​ ● Number of covid cases per MSOA (areas of about 7,200 people) new case tracker, with rolling ​ weekly total has been updated; you can now see historical data and increase/decrease. What we know about current levels of Coronavirus in Manchester, from MCC. ​ ​ ​ “How to guide” containing instructions on how to extract the data for Manchester from the ​ ​ government website from the MHCC Health Intelligence team. ​ ​ ​ ● 'Eat out to help out' may have caused fifth of Covid clusters over summer. Coronavirus ​ ​ ​ doctor's diary: 'We blame Eat Out To Help Out for our tragedy'. ​ ● National Test and Trace: public health directors demand patient-level Covid data after ​ ​ ​ ministers refuse to tell them who has the disease. A health care professional writes: Test and ​ Trace: 'I feel like I’ve achieved a big fat zero'. Utter shambles': GPs and medics decry NHS ​ ​ test-and-trace system. 'I was refused a home Covid test after credit check'. Local contact ​ ​ ​ ​ tracing deluged with missed and out-dated Serco cases. ​ ● Covid impact on NHS capacity in to last 'several years'. ​ ​ ● Poorest areas of England four times as likely to face lockdown as richest: to watch out for ​ when we go back to the tiered system. England's poorest 'get worse NHS care' than wealthiest ​ citizens. BAME over-50s likely to be among poorest 20% in England. ​ ​ ​ ● No Recourse to Public Funds immigration status: councils call on government to suspend. ​ ​ ● Rough sleeping: reports in UK rose sharply during first lockdown, despite government ​ ​ initiatives; what will we see this time without that same support?

● Obesity increases risk of Covid-19 death by 48%, study finds. ​ ​ ● UK working mothers are 'sacrificial lambs' in coronavirus childcare crisis. ​ ​ ● Shielding not needed yet, despite rising Covid rate, say government advisers. 'It's much ​ ​ scarier now': UK shielders on the rise in Covid cases. ​ ​

● Indoor air quality and covid: five ways to avoid catching the virus indoors. ​ ​ ​ ● Flu: with covid still in circulation, this year’s campaign is particularly vital to protect those most ​ at risk & reduce the number of people needing treatment from the NHS. As well as the usual groups, for the first time, people aged 50-64 will be invited later in the season for a vaccination. Our Neighbourhood GPs & staff have been working hard to organise their flu clinic dates, & ensure they are covid-secure. Anyone in the ’at risk’ groups will have been contacted, or will be contacted very soon to get their vaccination. Some clinics are already underway - so by the time you read this - you may already have been done! ‘At risk’ includes: people who are on the shielded patient list & members of their household, carers, all school year groups up to year 7, people aged over 65, pregnant women, & those with some pre-existing conditions including at-risk under 2s. A huge range of resources to support ​ increasing the vaccine uptake, including myth busting, who needs it & why, easy read version, ​ materials in many community languages, for those ‘at risk’ groups, plus videos & for social media.

● Flu vaccinations: help us to listen to residents feedback & lived experiences. As part of the ​ Manchester flu campaign this year, a weekly engagement & insight report is produced that helps inform communication & engagement - to understand what is working well, where the barriers are & what needs to be improved for people to take up the offer of having a flu jab or give permission for their children to have the spray. This helps inform the implementation of the city-wide flu strategy for this year & the next 2 years & where we may need to commission extra research or conversations. If you want to share an experience, insight or feedback around flu vaccinations from your service users, volunteers or your own experience, please email; this info will be added to the weekly report, & discussed at the flu core strategy group & ​ city-wide communications & engagement group to develop action & next steps.

● Flu & VCSE organisations: there are opportunities & funding for to be involved in the flu ​ engagement work through the Health Development Co-ordinators at a Neighbourhood level ​ ​ across the city & through city-wide work with the MHCC engagement team: just get in touch! ​ ​ ● Help with Debt, Bills & Borrowing. If you are not working or furloughed at the moment due to ​ COVID-19 & need help with debt, bills or borrowing, see Helping Hands for advice and support. ​ ​ ● Support for people Self isolating: where people have been told to self-isolate by NHS Test and ​ Trace and their income has been affected, they could be eligible for a one-off support payment. Find out more. ​ ​ ● Safe care home visits: new guidance to support visits during lockdown. ​ ​ ● Social determinants of health: new online hub of nature inspired resources from City of Trees. ​ ​ ​ Kids of Colour, a platform for young people of colour to explore their experiences of race, ​ identity and culture in modern Britain. Leaked report 'blames deprivation & poor housing for the spike in Covid 19 in parts of GM'. ​ ● Join a coronavirus study into: vaccine research; detection dog study; genetic study if you ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ tested positive. Donate blood plasma if you have recovered from coronavirus. ​ ​ ​ ​ ● Long Covid: who is more likely to get it? Long Covid: 'My fatigue was like nothing I've ​ ​ experienced before'. ​ ● Coronavirus: fifth of people likely to refuse Covid vaccine, UK survey finds. ​ ● Dismantling Racism in Charities and the Voluntary Sector - report & recommendations. ​

● Different covid risk assessment tools, including the British Medical Association’s. ​ ● How to interpret research on ethnicity & COVID risk & outcomes. Studies of covid & ethnicity ​ are not underpinned by a strong guiding theory. Using ethnicity data superficially might contribute to perpetuating ethnic inequalities rather than simply describing them.

● Funding list, for VCSE organisations and hardship for individuals still maintained by ​ Manchester Community Central.

● VCSE organisation or group? Health professional? Community Explorers brings them ​ together. Upcoming meeting date/Zoom link: Central Manchester 25 November 10-12. ​ ​ ● No Going Back brings together the experiences of 22 local voluntary sector leaders who shine ​ a light on the critical role that the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector has played during the response to the Covid-19 crisis. As well as reflecting on the lessons learned during the crisis, the leaders make the case for change going forward and highlight the unique opportunity society has to make things better in the future. What this normal will look like, though, is still in development and there is much to think about if we want it to be better than the old one. “These organisations are part of the resilience of our communities and we need them to be there - and never more so than in a crisis. Manchester’s marvellously diverse vibrant, messy, gumption-filled, voluntary, community and social enterprise sector has risen to the challenge of the moment and we must build on this, invest in it or risk losing it altogether.”

● Co-designed resources to raise awareness of dementia in South Asian communities. In ​ ​ British Sign Language and subtitled in Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu. Engagement ​ ​ report including recommendations. Email with any feedback about the resources or how you ​ ​ ​ have shared or used the resources.

● #MentallyHealthySchools have collected together lots of useful resources for school staff, ​ ​ ​ parents, carers and children, if the return to school was bumpy or during & after self-isolation. A GP explains how to recognise a coronavirus cough in children. ​ ​ ● Four in ten locked-down students found to have Covid in Manchester testing pilot. ​ ​ ● At least three-quarters of people in UK fail to self-isolate. ​ ● Coronavirus (COVID-19) words and terms explained in plain English; applicable here though ​ produced for Northern Ireland.

● Beyond the data: understanding the impact of COVID-19 on BAME groups; CAHN Position ​ ​ Statement on Public Health England BAME Review. ​ ● The council’s digital inclusion device scheme is still open for referrals. Email if you have ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ people who qualify with their name, circumstances & phone contact details. Criteria: Manchester residents over 18 who do not have internet access, plus one or more of the following: over 65, long term health condition, disabled, low income. Digital Inclusion Campaign: do you know someone who has internet access at home but ​ doesn't have the skills or confidence to use it as effectively as they would like? Free telephone support is available on a wide range of things including turning on your device, setting up an email address, making video calls, downloading apps, booking online supermarket shopping, finding health info & booking GP appointments. If you'd like the call in a different language to English, please let us know. Text 07860 064128 (leave your name/area of Manchester where you live), or email (with the person's details including their name/area where they live). ​ ​ Promoting the campaign: Poster 1 | Poster 2 | Poster 3 | Poster 4 | Poster 5 | Poster 6. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

● Tech for Good Live Volunteer Programme: a programme for people with tech and digital skills ​ to support local VCSE organisations in adapting and increasing their use of tech, brought to you by MACC and others. Tech for Good Live is ‘a community of people across GM with a mix of digital skills and an interest in using technology to make the world a better place’.

● MACC virtual meeting factsheets: top tips for virtual meetings; security settings for Zoom. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ● Need communications support? Involved in health, social care, education or social housing? Comms Volunteers is a free initiative that connects expert communicators with critical organisations who either cannot afford their help or don't have the time. Comms Volunteers will connect expert communicators (volunteering their services) with critical organisations who either cannot afford their help or are simply too snowed under communicating the fighting against Covid-19. You might need extra help with employee communications, crisis communications, or lobbying local and national government. More information. ​ ​ ● Support for residents in all tenures with issues relating to their energy and keeping a warm home. Energyworks at Groundwork Greater Manchester are offering telephone support to ​ those that are self-isolating, vulnerable or high risk of covid-19. Further details. ​ ​ ● Energy bills have been rising, especially with more time at home for many. The Energy Advice ​ ​ Team at Manchester CAB can help with: energy efficiency measures to keep those costs under ​ control; negotiating with energy suppliers where people have fallen into arrears; connecting people with available support such as the Priority Services Register and Warm Homes Discount; trust fund applications for grants on essential household items.

● Health literacy and health info training: empower people to make better health decisions ​ through participating in buzz’s sessions designed for staff from a wide range of health, social care, community & voluntary organisations. There are 2 sessions: ‘Health Literacy Awareness’ is a 1-hour accredited course about how our ability to understand health information can affect our health. ‘Introduction to Misinformation’ is a 1.5-hour course about different sources of health information and how to decide if they're any good. You will become a Knowledge Champion and encouraged to share your learning with colleagues and communities, with exclusive access to the Knowledge Champions section of the buzz website, with further th th support materials and learning: 16 ​ November 10:00 - Health Literacy Awareness | 24 ​ th ​ November 14:00 - Introduction to Misinformation | 10 ​ December 12:00 - Health Literacy th ​ Awareness | 16 ​ December 12:00 - Introduction to Misinformation. Find out more and book. ​ ​ ​ Email If you would like either of these sessions as a bespoke session for your team. ​

In previous round-ups...

A treasure trove of key info and partner updates: find your way with this clickable guide. ​ ​

Keep in touch

Please keep sending me information gaps, patterns in needs, system challenges needing to be ​ ​ addressed. Also send me your updates and information for distribution, & any feedback. HMSR INT Facebook: please like and share. ​ In solidarity with everything you are doing to support each other and those most at risk, HMSR Health Development Coordinator: [email protected] & on Twitter ​ ​ ​