This weekend the Prime Minister announced plans for new national restrictions to come into effect from 00.01 on Thursday 5th November. Following this announcement, we have been reviewing the Government guidance, talking to our Local Authorities and other stakeholders, and at this stage we aim to keep our organisation operating in our usual way wherever possible. Since the Spring we have worked hard to make our buildings and offices COVID secure and to ensure we have the right protocols and equipment in place to help keep our customers, tenants, staff and volunteers as safe as possible.
Please see below for our individual service updates…
Opportunities Without Limits Service
We are awaiting final guidance from our Local Authorities but our initial feedback so far is that our Opportunities without Limits service can continue with the blended approach of building based activities, out and about in the community and our digital offer. Our services will remain open as usual and we will let you know as soon as possible, if this situation changes.
We are seeking additional guidance on our Sawston service where we currently rent external premises and we will update you as soon as possible.
Employment
From Thursday 5 November, customers accessing our employment support services will have appointments with their adviser on the telephone rather than face to face throughout this period.
Housing
Our housing service will continue as normal and as part of our risk assessment, we will phone tenants ahead of any visits.
Care
Care in customers’ homes will continue as normal and the teams are managing resources and planning locally including the provision of PPE. In line with Government guidance, we have sadly had to stop visits to our care customers by friends and family during this period with a few exceptions where family are supporting with care and the transition of customers into their new homes. We hope we have in place as many ways as possible for family and friends to stay in touch, but if there is anything else that we can do, then please let us know.
Supporting our fundraising appeal
There is still a long road ahead for the Trust as we try to recover from the impact that the coronavirus pandemic has had on our ability to raise funds in the usual manner. We have now launched our Christmas appeal, which aims to fund garden rooms at our OWL centres, enabling more of our customers to return to services in a safe and socially distanced way. Any support you are able to give during this time is very much appreciated. You can find out more at
www.papworthtrust.org.uk/fundraising
If there are any changes to any of the above, we will let you through our website and social media. Thank you for your help and support during this period and please stay safe.
Helena Harris
Director of Operations
