Stay At Home advice can be found here. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-advice/

 Everyone is being reminded to follow Public Health England advice to:

• Always carry tissues with you and use them to catch your cough or sneeze. Then bin the tissue, and wash your hands, or use a sanitiser gel.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after using public transport. Use a sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are unwell.

More information can be found on the NHS website here. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

If you are struggling with your situation at home, speaking to your GP could help! They can refer you to a specialist service to support you.

You can also call Black Country Womens Aid directly for support in Walsall:

• T: 0121 552 6448 (24 hour line)
• 07384466181 (Text/WhatsApp)

Available Mon-Fri 9am-9pm.

The NHS App is the first app from the NHS for people across England. The App has been designed with patients and healthcare professions to be your digital front door to the NHS. It is quick and easy to use and we will be adding new features in the coming months.

Apps are not for everyone so the NHS App will not replace existing services, you can still contact your GP surgery in the usual way.

Download on the App Store or Google Play.

Visit the website for more details:

• www.nhs.uk/nhsapp

You can use the App to:

• Book/Cancel appointments
• View your record
• Order repeat prescriptions
• Check your symptoms
• Register to be an organ donor
• Choose how the NHS uses your data

Self-referral Guide

This service is for people registered with a Walsall GP surgery

Freephone: 0800 953 0995 or Website: www.dwmh.nhs.uk/ttwalsall

What is Talking Therapy?

Talking therapy is a type of treatment that involves talking to a therapist about your thoughts and feelings to help manage depression and anxiety symptoms. The purpose of talking treatments is to help you understand your feelings and behaviour better, and to change your behaviour or the way you think about things.

You will be contacted by telephone initially to offer a brief screening assessment of 20-30 minutes.  Your needs/difficulities will be discussed and what type of therapy might be best for you.  Alternative services may also be suggested if they are better suited to your needs.

For therapy to work you need to be committed and motivated to attend all sessions offered.  

For more information visit Website: www.dwmh.nhs.uk/ttwalsall  or Freephone: 0800 953 0995 

Help in a crisis

If you are worried about the immediate safety of yourself or someone that you know, you should contact the Emergency Services on 999.

For alternative support with low level mental health concerns, you can call Samaritans on 116 123, SANEline on 0300 304 7000, NHS Direct on 111 or the GP surgery.

Don’t forget you still need to get your child’s routine childhood immunisations done at your GP surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health Chiefs across the Black Country and West Birmingham are urging parents to take their children for their routine childhood immunisations at their GP surgery when they are invited to. Pregnant women should also take up the offer to have the pertussis (Whooping Cough) vaccine.

Dr Anand Rischie, Walsall GP and Clinical Chair for NHS Walsall Clinical Commissioning Group said, “As long as patients attending for vaccination (including parents and carers) are well, are not displaying symptoms of COVID-19 or other infections and are not self-isolating because they are contacts of suspected COVID-19 cases, immunisation should proceed and is encouraged.

“Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important that routine childhood immunisations are started and completed on time. This will help protect your child from a range of serious and sometimes life-threatening infections. Whilst infections such as measles and meningitis are not as common as they used to be, this is only because of high levels of vaccination. It is very important that we continue to prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases by making sure children get vaccinated.”

• To prevent resurgence, infants still need protecting through vaccination.
• All routine childhood immunisations are offered to babies, infants and pre-school children including first and second MMR dose
• All doses of targeted hepatitis B vaccines for at-risk infants will be offered
• Its important that pregnant women and take up the pertussis vaccine, and that their babies start receiving protection against this, and other infections, from 8 weeks of age.

GP practices are safe to attend for these appointments and continue to implement the most up to date guidance on maintaining social distance in the waiting room, (for example separating individuals by 2 metres) and decontamination of premises and equipment is being strictly followed. Practices may be adjusting appointment times to avoid waiting times with others and in some areas, practices may also be working with neighbouring practices to deliver COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 activity on separate sites.

DO YOU CARE FOR SOMEONE WHO COULD NOT MANAGE WITHOUT YOUR HELP?

Walsall Carers Centre is here to help you on:

• T: 01922 636663
• E: contact@walsallcarers.org
• W: www.walsallcarers.org

Walsall carers centre offers a wide range of services for carers living in Walsall:

• Caring at home
• Respite care
• Caring for yourself
• Having a break
• Money matters & benefits
• Legal matters
• Adaptions and aids in the home
• Housing & residential care
• Holidays
• Coping with bereavement
• Or if you just need someone to talk to then they can help

 ARE YOU A CARER?

A carer is someone who provides or supervises a substanitial amount of care on a regular basis of a child, relative, partner or neighbour who is unable to manage their own illness, disability, frailty, mental distress or impairment.

Please let the practice know if you are a carer. We can offer you a health check and advice. We will also support you with information and signpost you to other services.

Please check the St Giles website for the most up-to-date information on individual Help Points https://www.stgileshospice.com/bereavement-help-point 

alternatively contact the Supportive Care Team on 01543 434536 or Email: sct@stgileshospice.com 

This service is available to anyone who has to arrange the funeral for a deceased resident of the Borough, who is to be buried at one of the Borough's cemeteries or cremated at Streetly Crematorium.

The service aims to provide a simple, dignified funeral at a specially agreed fixed price.

In order to provide a dignified funeral service for the residents of the Borough, the council has appointed the long established firm of:

• Halliwells Funeral Service
• 63 Norton Road
• Pelsall
• Walsall
• WS3 4NR
• T: 01922 685999
• E: pelsall@halliwellfuneralservices.com
• W: http://halliwellfuneralservices.com

If you are struggling to pay for the cost of a funeral, you may be eligable for help from the government, you need to be getting or making a claim for one of the following benefits:

• Income Support
• Income Based Jobseekers Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Pension Credit
• Housing Benefit
• The disability or severe disability element of Working Tax Credit
• One of the extra elements of Child Tax Credit
• Universal Credit

To obtain advice contact your local Benefits Office who can arrange an interview or can send the claim form SF200 assistance with funeral payments.

NHS Volunteer Responders has been set up to support the NHS and the care sector during the COVID-19 outbreak.

This programme enables volunteers to provide care or to help a vulnerable person, which is permitted under the new rules announced by the Government on 23rd March 2020. Volunteers may be asked to show the active task they are responding to if asked.        

If you are vulnerable and need support please call your GP surgery who can refer you to GoodSam .

GoodSam volunteers:

• Community Response volunteer: This role involves collecting shopping, medication or other essential supplies for someone who is self-isolating, and delivering these supplies to their home.
• Patient Transport volunteer: This role supports the NHS by providing transport to patients who are medically fit for discharge, and ensuring that they are settled safely back in to their home.
• Check-in and Chat volunteer: This role provides short-term telephone support to individuals who are at risk of loneliness as a consequence of self-isolation.

Heart Care is a local charity which provides cardiac rehabilliation and after care to people who have suffered a heart attack, undergone heart surgery or surgical intervention or suffer from other coronary heart conditions.

Through a unique programme of monitored physical excercise and expert advice, patients can return to a normal active life.

Heart care prefers to start patients on any of programmes as soon as possible and for cardiac patients within 6 weeks of their myocardial infarction or coronary artery surgery.

Patients can be referred to Heart Care by their GP, Practice nurse, Hospital consultant, Local hospital or Tertiary centre. Client ages range from 18-93.

Contact details:

• T: 01922 725050
• E: heartcare@walsall.nhs.uk
• W: www.heartcare.org.uk

Dentistry is currently limited during the pandemic as all dentists have been asked to stop all routine “face-to-face” dental care.

However, if you need urgent dental care, help is at hand:

Call your dental practice:

They will give you advice over the telephone and make arrangements for you if you need to be seen.

If you don’t have a dentist, find your nearest dentist and call them. You can search for your nearest dentist at:

• https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist

If you’re deaf, you can:

• Use the NHS 111 British Sign Language service: interpreternow.co.uk/nhs111
• Call 18001 111 on a textphone

A new personalised dementia support service from Alzheimer's Society.

A free personalised service that connects anyone affected by dementia to the support you need, when you need it. Not just people with dementia but carers, family and friends too.

How Dementia Connect can help you

Dementia affects everyone differently, so support is tailored to your individual needs.  The Dementia Advisers provide direct support as well as signposting to other local services. It is never easy for a patient to tell their story, so they only ever ask you to tell it once.

Support provided can include:

• Advice on how to cope and live with dementia
• Tips for making a home dementia friendly
• Help navigating social services
• Advice on legal documents and Lasting Power of Attorney
• Connection to dementia groups within local communities

Phone support

The Dementia Advisers are available on the phone to give the support you need. They will offer you the option of regular calls to keep in touch and help meet changin needs.

Support Line Opening Hours

Monday -Wednesday 9.00am -8.00pm

Thursday - Friday 9.00am-5.00pm

Saturday-Sunday 10.00am-4.00pm

Online Support

Online support is available round the clock through the website. The online community Talking Point offers anyone dealing with dementia the chance to chat with others in a similar situation.   You can read, download and order support materials and search for local dementia services in your area through the dementia directory.

Face to Face Support

The local Dementia Advisers go out and meet people the community to offer further support, practical advice and information, from someone who understands what they're going through. 

Get support today

T: 0333 150 3456

W: alzheimers.org.uk/dementiasupport

E: dementia.connect@alzheimers.org.uk

A team of specialist Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist striving to provide high quality physiotherapy care across the Walsall community who aims to restore movement and function to an optimal level when someone is affected by an injury or musculoskeletal illness.

Clinics are held at Aldridge, Bloxwich, Bentley, Willenahll, Rushall, New Invention, Walsall and Walsall Wood.

Patients do not need to see their GP or require a referral from the GP before they attend.

• Advance booking by phone: (Lines are open 09:00am - 16:30pm Mon-Fri) - 0121 568 4311
• Advance booking by email: physio@walsall.nhs.uk

Please mention your full name, address, date of birth, contact number and NHS number only if know.

Who is eligible for this service?

Adults ages 18+ with two or more complex/long term health and/or mental health conditions and an identified need for additonal social support, beyond statutory provision.

Contact details:

• T: 01922 619840
• E: onewalsall.sp@nhs.net
• W: www.onewalsall.org

One Walsall is an independent charity with a 30 year history of supporting voluntary and communication action in the borough.

Kooth offers free, safe and anonymous online support for young people aged 11-26.

Available:

• Monday – Friday 12pm – 10pm
• Saturday – Sunday 6pm – 10pm

Visit the website to chat to friendly councsellors, read articles written by young people and join live moderated forums.

www.kooth.com