Comic legend Sir Lenny Henry has joined with ‘12 Years a Slave’ actor Chiwetel Ejiofer, actress Thandie Newton and other black celebrities to urge black Britons to have the coronavirus vaccine.
TV comic legend Lenny Henry reads his letter in the short film. Credit: DHSC
Sir Lenny Henry has written an open letter urging black Britons to go and have the COVID-19 vaccine and a short film based on his letter will be aired on Channel 5 and Sky between 8pm and 9.30pm tonight (30 March).
’When your turn comes take the vaccine’
Sir Lenny Henry’s letter includes the words: ‘Dear mums, dads, grandparents, uncles, aunties, brothers, sisters, nephew, nieces, daughters, sons and cousins. We love you!
‘And we want to see you again. Covid-19 has kept us apart for far too long. We want to hug you, we want to celebrate with you, we want to go out for dinner with you, we want to worship with you, we want to go and watch football and cricket with you, we want to beat you at video games – in the same room so we can see the look on your face when we do.
‘But in order to do all that – we all need to take the Covid-19 jab. It’s all of us in this together.
To read the full story visit the homecare.co.uk website.
The government has announced that all unpaid carers in England who aren’t living with the people they care for can apply for free PPE. The news follows a successful pilot scheme designed to set up the right distribution systems and logistics. This means successful applicants will be able to keep themselves and the people they care for safe from the virus when they move from their home to the home of the person being cared for.
The free PPE offer lasts until the end of June but might be extended depending on how we fare coming out of lockdown. Almost two thirds of Local Authorities and local resilience forums have already signed up in support, and work is already starting on a workable nationwide PPE distribution system. To find out more about free PPE for unpaid carers in Kent visit https://www.kent.gov.uk/social-care-and-health/care-and-support/caring-for-other-people/ppe-for-unpaid-carers And to order free PPE for unpaid carers visit http://bit.ly/3reIXL3
It’s really good to get this news, since we know how important it is to do everything possible to protect the vulnerable and the people who care for them. Unpaid carers are the bedrock of the UK’s social care system, and they have laid their lives on the line during the pandemic. The scientific advice is to wear PPE while caring, and this scheme finally closes the gap we have all been so concerned about.
The government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies social care working group recommends unpaid extra-resident carers should use PPE in the same way as their paid counterparts. It’s good to know that there is also financial support for local authorities and resilience forums who will support the rollout of free PPE, and to see so many of them signing up for the scheme so quickly.
As the Minister for Care, Helen Whately, said, “Unpaid carers are the unsung heroes of this pandemic. All too often their kindness and devotion go unseen and unacknowledged by society. I know the enormous strain this pandemic has placed on those caring for family and those they love. I’m determined to do everything possible to support them.”
Those working for CQC registered providers will receive weekly PCR tests to administer at home, which will help identify more asymptomatic cases and protect care users who are more vulnerable to the virus.
A month’s worth of test kits will be delivered to care providers directly who can distribute tests to their staff using the same channels used to distribute PPE.
‘Home care workers have not been able to access the same level of testing as their colleagues working in care homes’
Minister for Care, Helen Whately said: “Home care workers have been doing an incredible job throughout the pandemic, caring day in and day out and going the extra mile to keep people they care for safe from COVID.
“As our testing capacity continues to expand, I’m glad we’re able to take this next step and make regular testing available to homecare workers. Now, as well as having PPE, home care workers will be able to take a weekly test to check they don’t have Coronavirus.
