General

The best travel options are walking and cycling, rather than sitting in an enclosed space with other people, but if you do need to drive or share a lift with people from other households, please take some sensible precautions:

• share the transport with the same people each time
• keep to small groups of people at any one time
• everyone in the car should wear face coverings
• try to keep as much distance as possible between each other
• travel side by side or behind other people where possible, and try not to face them
• open windows to allow air to circulate
• everyone should remember to wash their hands properly before and after their journey.

You can download the full document here – HCP summer update 2020

The first visit to Shurton and Stogursey will be on Thursday 13 August:

• Babbling Brook: 12.15 – 12.45
• Greyhound Inn: 1.25 – 2.20
• Town Close (No 30) 2.25 – 3.00

In order to protect library staff and customers, the Mobile Library service will look very different as it re-launches.
• You won’t be able to browse books on the vehicle
• You can use the ‘order and collect’ service to request library books in advance – the books will be delivered
to you at your normal Mobile Library stop.

Order your library books by:
– contacting Librariesmail@somerset.gov.uk,
– going to the Somerset Libraries website, or
– phoning 0300 123 2224.

• Your Mobile Library driver will have a supply of order forms for you to complete in readiness for the next
mobile Library delivery.

• If easily accessible, the driver may be able to select the books for you from the vehicle.

In time there may be a browsing facility on the vehicle, limited to one customer on the vehicle at any time. This
will mean creating a safe distance queuing system.

We are very pleased to announce that as part of the phased reopening of library buildings, the order-and-collect service which was launched on July 6^th in Taunton has now been extended so that collections of up to 10 books can also be picked up from Frome, Yeovil, Minehead or Bridgwater libraries when they begin re-opening on July 13^th. Further details of opening times and which services are available can be found on our website, or on Facebook and Twitter

By filling in a Reading Request form, customers will receive a selection of up to ten hand-picked books, DVD’s or talking books, based on the types of authors or genres that are of interest to them. Requests can be made either by email, website or telephone (0300 123 2224) and the selection of books, talking books, and DVDs will be available for collection at a pre-arranged convenient time for people to pick up. No hire charges or overdue charges will be applied.

Internet access will be available in libraries that are open, but it will be primarily for users who don’t have home internet access and require essential services. Computers will need to be pre-booked and will be available for one-hour slots. Each computer and workstation will be thoroughly cleaned between bookings and there will be at least a 2m distance between desks.

Customers can return any items currently on loan to any libraries that are open, but customers are being encouraged not to make an unnecessary journey to do this. All current loans that would have been due back during the lockdown period have been extended to the end of August, and any overdue charges that customers might have incurred as a result of library closures due to COVID-19 have been waived. It is hoped that all Somerset libraries, with the possible exception of a few community-managed libraries, will be open again by mid-August.

The Somerset Mobile Library Service is also back on the road and the Home Library Service, delivered in partnership with the Royal Voluntary Service, has started to deliver books to people unable to leave their homes.

Finally, just a reminder to follow our Facebook and Twitter posts for some engaging content including videos made by library staff, activities, quizzes, news and links to other useful resources.

John Carter

Senior Development Officer

Somerset Libraries

B3S, County Hall, Taunton, Somerset.  TA1 4DY

www.somerset.gov.uk/libraries

Twitter: @SomersetLib

During the Covid-19 pandemic, people who work in health and care services and the voluntary and community sector across the South West have offered new choices to patients and the public, for example, by making more use of online and telephone appointments.

With the initial peak of the Covid-19 pandemic now past, the NHS needs to reintroduce and revitalise non-Covid-19 services that have been affected. As part of this planning, health and care staff in both NHS England and NHS Improvement in common with the seven South West systems are looking to gather the views of patients, staff and stakeholders on their experience of health and care services during the pandemic.

Regional engagement leads, community representatives and colleagues from public health, the voluntary and community sector and social care have worked together to develop a regional survey to allow for feedback at a local level and on regional services. It will also mean those living on the edges of health and care systems are asked once for their views.

The survey is being hosted on a platform by NHS Gloucestershire and the anonymous results will be shared with NHS England and NHS Improvement who will analyse the results and share them with all seven health and care systems, in a collaborative approach. The results and analysis will be compiled into a report at both a local system and regional level and shared with health and care organisations and respondents who provide their email addresses in August.

The results of the survey will help inform health and care recovery plans and future commissioning intentions, enabling identification of what has worked well and how we can improve going forward.

If you have questions about the survey, please speak to your STP Engagement lead or Dr Lou Farbus, Head of Stakeholder Engagement, NHS England and NHS Improvement South West.

The survey is being promoted by the South West Communications and Engagement network to staff, patients and stakeholders. Please can we ask you to encourage those within your organisation and your networks to complete the survey to enable a rich picture of feedback from the South West population.

https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/Covid19SWExp/.

Many thanks in advance for your help.

Regards,

The Somerset CCG Engagement Team