Who does what?

In case of flooding

The Norfolk Strategic Flooding Alliance is a new taskforce, brought together in early 2021, to work so that Norfolk communities and infrastructure are safer and more resilient to the risks of inland and coastal flooding. The Alliance includes, among others, the Environment Agency, Anglian Water, the Association of Drainage Authorities, the Water Management Alliance, Water Resources East, the Norfolk Resilience Forum, the Broads Authority and Norfolk’s County, Borough, City, District and Parish Councils.

In the event of flooding residents can call 0344 800 8013 to report it. The new number gives residents a single point of contact and allows reports to be made swiftly. Alternatively, residents can continue to report flooding online via Norfolk County Councils flooding pages.

Different agencies respond to different types of flooding, which has historically made reporting a flood by telephone more complicated when and where it is not possible to ascertain the source of floodwaters. The new number provides a single point of contact making the reporting of flooding quicker and easier. Where there is a potential risk to life from flooding people should still call 999 immediately.

 

Acle and District Foodbank – new phone number

Acle (and district) Foodbank has a new freephone number… 0800 774 7286. If you need a bit of help please ring us…

Don’t forget there is also help via NCC’s Norfolk Assistance Scheme and BDC’s Hardship Fund..you may be eligible for one of these..

 

Norfolk Assistance Scheme

Norfolk Assistance Scheme

The Norfolk Assistance Scheme (NAS) helps people who are unable to meet their immediate needs or need practical support to set up home.  There are many people in our community who need this support.

The scheme can therefore help people who are struggling because of coronavirus, for example those who have been furloughed, are on reduced hours or have been made redundant.

Please note: due a high number of applications it’s currently taking us up to 10 working days to respond to you. Please bear with us. We will use databases (such as Norfolk County Council’s Social Services and Department for Work and Pensions) to verify the information provided on the application.

Support from NAS

The scheme can help you if you can’t meet your everyday needs and are struggling financially.

NAS can support you with food, paying your bills and money for everyday essentials.  It can also help you with household items like white goods or beds if you’re having to move house if, for example, you’re fleeing domestic violence or moving out of care and into the community.

The support we offer is for two weeks to begin with.  If you need more long-term help after that, we can work with you to access further support and find out what other help you might be eligible for.

Can I get help?

You must be a Norfolk resident aged 16 or over to apply to the scheme and when you apply we’ll ask you a some questions to check if you’re eligible.

You may be eligible if you:

  • Have been financially affected by Covid-19, including reduced income or redundancy
  • Are on a low income or receive income-related benefits, such as Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance
  • Have dependent children
  • Have a disability or mental health problem
  • Are fleeing domestic violence
  • Need help to remain in the community
  • Are part of a planned resettlement scheme

We may also ask you to provide evidence to support your application, such as bank statements, payslips, or any other evidence we think we need. If we do not receive the required evidence within 5 working days, your application will be withdrawn.

How to apply

https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/care-support-and-health/support-for-living-independently/money-and-benefits/norfolk-assistance-scheme

 

Welcome to Upton leaflet

information leaflet

 

BDC course to get back into work or volunteering

CHOICES

A free programme helping Broadland residents
get back into work or volunteering

Our next 12 week course starts:
Tuesday 28 September, 10am – 12pm
Carrowbreck House, NR6 5FA
Attendance is flexible – just come to as many
sessions as you are able to
Call 01603 430535 or email
[email protected]
for more information.
You can:
Explore your skills and qualities
Improve or write a CV
Practice interview techniques
Find out about training courses, including Microsoft Office
Get help finding work or volunteering opportunities
Boost your confidence
Access advice and support in a small, friendly group

 

Nearest Job Centre Plus

Find your nearest job centre here

 

 

 

It’s good to talk!

  • Samaritans – 116123

  • The Walnut Tree Health and Wellbeing C.I.C provides recovery activities, crisis support, coaching and mentoring to emergency service personnel and serving members of the armed forces, military veterans and others, with complex mental health needs, including addiction brought about by out of the ordinary traumatic experiences. Call 01603 516580

  • Campaign against living miserably (CALM) (aims to prevent male suicide) – 0800 58  58 58

  • The Silver Line (helpline for older people) – 0800 4 70 80 90

  • PAPYRUS (help for young people considering suicide) – 0800 068 4141 or text 07860039967

  • CRUSE – Bereavement Helpline 0808 808 1677

  • Samaritans – 0800 116 123

  • NSPCC – 0808 800 5000

  • Childline – 0800 1111

  • Rape Crisis – 0808 802 9999

  • Age UK – 0800 055 6112

  • Alcoholics Anonymous – 0800 9177 650

  • The MIX – Essential support for under 25s – 0800 808 4994

  • MIND – call 0300 123 3393 or text 86463

  • Rethink Mental Illness – 0300 5000 927 (Mon-Fri 9:30-4pm)

  • Parents Helpline – 0808 802 5544 (9:30-4pm except bank holidays)

  • Crisis Messenger – 85258 (24 hours)

  • SANE – 0300 304 7000

  • Shout – text 85258

  • No Panic – 0300 7729844

  • Drinkline – 0300 123 1110

  • Talk to Frank – 0300 123 6600

  • National Debtline – 0808 808 4000

  • Refuge – National Domestic Abuse Helpline – 0808 2000 247

  • Macmillan Cancer Support – 0808 808 00 00

  • Stonewall – 0800 050 20 20

  • Victim Support – 0808 1689 111

  • Beaumont Society – a national self help body run by and for the transgender community – 0300 330 5486

  • BEAT Helpline: 0808 801 0677

  • Studentline: 0808 801 0811

  • Youth line: 0808 801 0711

 

Universal Credit

https://www.gov.uk/how-to-claim-universal-credit

You may be able to get Universal Credit if:

  • you’re on a low income or out of work
  • you’re 18 or over (there are some exceptions if you’re 16 to 17)
  • you’re under State Pension age (or your partner is)
  • you and your partner have £16,000 or less in savings between you
  • you live in the UK
 

NHS information

COVID Vaccination letter

This is not an appointment letter but contains important information about the NHS COVID-19 vaccination programme.  

We are writing to provide information and reassurance to patients, relatives, and carers across Norfolk and Waveney (North Suffolk).  This is the largest vaccination programme ever delivered by the NHS and it will take months to complete, but thanks to the hard work of our local NHS staff and volunteers we have made a great start.

We know that some people in priority groups for vaccination are still waiting for their appointment, and we are working incredibly hard to roll out the vaccine to those most at risk as soon as we possibly can.  If this is you, we haven’t forgotten about you.

Please do not contact your GP – you will get an appointment for a vaccine, it will just take a few weeks before we are able to contact everyone.  We are asking people to be patient and wait for their invitation as health services are incredibly busy at the moment and we are not able to answer enquiries about the vaccine programme.

This letter covers:

        • How and when you will get an appointment for your vaccination
        • Where you will get your vaccination
        • Information about attending appointments
        • Information about emails and texts that claim to be from the NHS but are not
        • Information about the first and second vaccine doses
  1. How and when you will get an appointment for your vaccination

GP practices and NHS England are identifying people who are in the first priority groups for vaccination. As of February 2021, these priority groups are:

        • those aged 80 years and over
        • those aged over 75 years
        • those aged over 70 years
        • anyone living in a care home for older adults (aged 65+)
        • care home staff (over 65s)
        • frontline health care workers
        • frontline social care workers
        • adults on the NHS shielded patient list / clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV)

Vaccination is by appointment only for people in the priority groups above. If you have not yet been invited to make an appointment, you will be contacted in one of two ways over the coming days and weeks:

        • A letter, phone call or text from a local GP practice inviting you to make an appointment at a GP surgery – vaccinating patients registered with their own practice as well as patients from other neighbouring practices.
        • A letter from NHS England inviting you to make an appointment at a hospital hub, community pharmacy or large vaccination centre via the national booking website or telephone.

Anyone who has mobility / access needs or difficulty getting to a vaccination appointment should discuss that when they are contacted to make an appointment. Support from various community transport services is available for eligible people.

COVID Vacc Image 1

  1. Where you will get your vaccinations

There are currently 29 sites vaccinating patients in priority groups (see above) across Norfolk and Waveney (North Suffolk): 

        • 21 GP-led vaccination sites
        • Three hospital vaccination hubs: the Norfolk and Norwich, James Paget and Queen Elizabeth hospitals (additional hospital sites are vaccinating health and care staff)
        • Large scale vaccination centres include Castle Quarter in Norwich, Kings Lynn Corn Exchange, Connaught Hall in Attleborough and North Walsham Community Centre.
        • Hayden Chemist in Lowestoft – with other community pharmacies coming online over the coming weeks (see below).

You may be offered a choice of site or you may be given an appointment at a specific site. All sites have parking and are fully accessible.

More vaccination sites are due to go live in the coming weeks so people in Norfolk and Waveney (North Suffolk) shouldn’t have to travel more than 10 miles to get a vaccine.  New sites will be announced through:

When offered an appointment or invited to make one, please do not delay.  The more people we can vaccinate quickly with the first dose, the faster our communities, friends and families are protected from COVID-19.

  1. Information about attending vaccination appointments

Please make sure you attend both appointments given to you – for your first and second dose.  These are usually around 12 weeks apart.

When you attend for your vaccination:

        • Please do not arrive more than 5-10 minutes before your appointment time. Because if you do, people have to queue for longer and social distancing becomes more difficult. 
        • Have your NHS Number or invitation letter with you. Your NHS number appears on various NHS documents and letters you may have received related to your healthcare or medications.  Please avoid calling your GP to ask for your NHS number as their telephone lines are incredibly busy and should be kept clear for patients who need to make appointments.
        • If you are on anticoagulation medication (blood-thinning medicine such as warfarin) please take your ‘yellow book’ with you to your vaccination appointment. You will be able to receive the vaccine if you are up to date with your scheduled INR testing and your last result was below the upper limit of your target INR range.
        • Please wear practical clothing so it’s easy to access your upper arm. Wearing a short sleeve t-shirt as your bottom layer of clothing is recommended. But please do wrap up warm with several layers and a coat to protect you from the cold weather before and after your vaccine.
        • If you are nervous or don’t like needles, let the person giving you your vaccine know so they can support you.
        • Remember to wear a face-covering while travelling to, from and during your appointment and maintain social distancing at all times. You should also wash or sanitise your hands before and afterwards.
        • Please be respectful of our staff. They are working long hours, evenings and weekends to get people vaccinated. Verbal or physical abuse of NHS staff or volunteers will not be tolerated and police officers are supporting our vaccination sites to keep everyone safe.
  1. Emails and texts that claim to be from the NHS but are not

Some people are receiving texts and emails about the vaccination programme that look like they have come from the NHS but are in fact scams.  To protect yourself:

        • Do not open any attachments or click any links within the email unless you are sure it is legitimate. This is how scammers can damage your computer or access your personal information.
        • If you receive an email that claims to be from the NHS vaccination programme and asks you for bank details or payment information, it is a scam. Do not give your bank details or any payment information to anyone online unless you are sure who they are. The vaccine provided by the NHS is free to eligible patients and you don’t need to pay for it.
        • Look at the email address – rather than the name of the sender displayed – to see if it is from a reliable source. You can use an online search engine to search for the sender’s email address if you are unsure.
        • Look for obvious spelling mistakes or poor use of language / grammar – for example just ‘NHS is contacting you’ rather than ‘The NHS is contacting you’.
  1. Information about the first and second doses

Both of the vaccines being given to patients (Oxford AstraZeneca and Pfizer) require two doses in order to provide their full protection – usually around 12 weeks apart.  You must attend both appointments to make sure you have the most protection possible against COVID-19.

You won’t get the full protection of the vaccine until around three weeks after your second dose.  Even then, you may still be at risk of carrying the virus and passing it on to others. Therefore, even after you have had the vaccine it’s really important that you continue to follow the guidelines, wash your hands, cover your face and keep your distance from people.

Covid Vaccination 2

More information about the vaccination programme in Norfolk and Waveney can be found on our website here: www.norfolkandwaveneyccg.nhs.uk/covid-19-vaccination-programme .

This web page includes answers to the questions that people have told us are important (our myth buster) and a copy of this letter – so you can see that it is genuine and has come from NHS Norfolk and Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group. Our website provides audio and translation functions, and we are also producing this information in an easy read format to access online.

Finally, we know there is a lot of information here, but we want patients to know what to expect from the vaccination programme and how to get protected from COVID-19 as quickly as possible.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and your continued support of the NHS.

NHS Norfolk and Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group

www.norfolkandwaveneyccg.nhs.uk

 

Broadland’s Community at Heart Lottery

Broadland has set up a new lottery, details here

At least 60% from each ticket goes to support local causes and you can nominate which local charity will receive your money