NEWS

The following message has been received from the surgery:

The Felsted Surgery

Changes to our appointment system to protect patients and our staff. From 16 March 2020, we are cancelling all routine face-to-face GP appointments.

Instead, we will be offering an enhanced telephone service.  All requests for appointments must be made by phone and will be triaged by a clinician over the phone.  If you need to be seen face-to-face, this will be arranged for you.

Video consultations will be launched this coming week, to provide patients with another option to connect with their GP.

What about pre-booked appointments?

If you have a routine appointment booked at the surgery with any clinician, you will be telephoned before your appointment and asked some simple questions to assess if you are well enough to come to the surgery.

PLEASE DO NOT ATTEND THE SURGERY UNLESS YOU HAVE BEEN TELEPHONED AND TOLD THAT YOU SHOULD COME IN.

What about new follow up requests?  We will attempt to do most follow ups over the phone.  If a clinician asks you to make a follow up appointment, please book this via Reception as usual, informing them that it is a telephone appointment.  Clearly, not all follow ups can be done over the phone, and if your clinician wants to review you face-to-face, they will inform you – so you can inform the Reception Team.

We need to work together to protect the community and our staff. Patients are still attending the surgery with cold and flu-like symptoms and this is not acceptable at this time.  It puts the health of vulnerable people at risk, and the health of our Surgery Team, who have to support the patients we care for.

We thank all our patients for their support and understanding during these extraordinary times.

Thank You

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Particularly for those people that are self isolating, there is a local wholesale company who can deliver vegetable/fruit or mixed boxes, plus a limited dairy range (milk, butter, eggs etc.), direct to your door.

They are called Donald Freeston Fresh Produce and they currently deliver to Lindsells.

They normally aim to deliver the next day and they are currently offering deliveries to Felsted daily.     Their website is updated and becomes “live” at 9.00am each day.

Clearly at present, demand is high and some items do run out quite quickly so you will need to check their website soon after 9.00am.

Payment is via their Website by normal Card or Paypal etc.

Their website is – www.freestonsdirect.co.uk

The minimum order is £20.   Orders placed on a Saturday will be delivered on the Monday.

The Parish Council has no relationship with this company.

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Please be aware that the Felsted playing field car park is now closed, as are the public toilets, for the duration of the Coronavirus situation.

The allotments will remain open for the foreseeable future.

This is in line with Government advice and the latest Coronavirus regulations.

We will keep you updated with all developments.

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Dear Neighbours

We are trying to share all Coronavirus related news specifically relevant to Felsted and our neighbourhood, here, on the Parish Council website.

To make the process easier you can register for an email alert, rather than having to visit to check for updates. Please visit our News page and subscribe by adding your email in the box on the right hand side.

If you have received this message as an alert, then you are of course already registered.

Please be assured we won’t share your email address with anyone, nor will we send you any SPAM.

Please note that, for clear understandable reasons, the Sunday green waste collection service has been temporarily suspended.

We will keep you updated with developments.

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We have received the following message regarding the status of Flitch Way:

Dear all,

There has been some confusion regarding the closure of the Flitch Way following Essex County Council’s decision to close all country parks from Sunday evening, please find and updated notice below.

“In order to limit the spread of coronavirus, all ECC Country Parks have been closed until further notice. However, the sections of the Flitch Way that are public rights of way ie bridleway will remain open – please use them safely and in line with the government’s advice regarding social distancing.”

Please feel free to copy the above sentence over to your local social media pages and groups or pass them onto someone that can.

Tom Hamilton

Ranger

Great Notley Country Park and the Flitch Way

Culture and Green Spaces

Place and Public Health

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Dear resident,

I have never written to anyone on a more important subject. I would ask that you please take a moment to read this message.

We are facing the biggest challenge of our times. Coronavirus is a killer. If we do nothing, 500,000 people across our great country will die.

But that horrendous outcome will not happen, provided we act.

The Government has issued good advice. But not all of us are following it.

This is not good enough. We MUST heed the advice from Government.

It is simple. And it is in our hands.

STAY HOME. SAVE LIVES.

Across Essex this weekend, we have seen people behaving in a way which was very much like going about their usual business.

I will be blunt. This is not acceptable.

We MUST socially distance.

Even though some schools across Essex will stay open, you should ONLY take your children to them, if you have been notified that you are a critical worker AND if you absolutely have NO other option.

The NHS

If the epidemic peaks, as it has in Italy, which has a world-class health system, the NHS will be overwhelmed.

We must not allow the ‘peak’ of the epidemic to outstrip the NHS’s capacity to care.

Every single one of us can ensure that this nightmare scenario does not happen.

In China, and South Korea, the spread of the virus has been kept in check because Governments have acted quickly enough, and people have followed advice. We must follow suit. Our great County of Essex has always risen to the challenges over the decades. This is the greatest one of our times.

Please, follow the advice. Stay Home. Save Lives. #StayHomeSaveLives

Cllr David Finch, Leader, Essex County Council

Dr Mike Gogarty, Director of Public Health, Essex County Council

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With the rapidly developing Coronavirus situation, never has it need more important to for us all to keep an eye on the elderly and vulnerable in our society.

Whilst there are national helplines and support structures, the Parish Council want to share some more local routes to getting help.

For those with Internet access, ‘NextDoor Felsted’ is an excellent source of help and support. The number of people spontaneously sharing information and offering their time to shop for those unable to leave home is amazing. If you have internet access we highly recommend you join.

However, there are many in our community who do not have access to the Internet, and we would encourage everyone to check on neighbours to see if help is needed, or just if a chat over the phone would help lift the spirits of someone self-isolating.

In addition, we have set up a dedicated Felsted helpline, 07936 070732. This number will be manned by Councillors, in rotation. The goal is to offer a non-internet facility to link those able to offer to help (with shopping, prescriptions, posting letters etc) with those who need it.

Please, therefore, if you are able to offer your time and help beyond your immediate neighbours, please call to let us know, and, if you need help, please call to ask and we will try to put you in touch with someone local who can help.

This information is being placed on Parish Council noticeboards to help reach those without internet access.

Please see the following message regarding Schools from Essex County Council

Dear Parents,
I am writing to give you further guidance on the way that schools across Essex will be operating over the coming weeks. These changes cover all registered childcare providers (including nurseries and childminders), maintained and academy primary schools, maintained and academy secondary schools; special schools, further education colleges and independent schools.
Firstly, I want to be clear that following the Government directive issued on Wednesday, as from the end of today (Friday 20th March) schools across Essex will be closed. This is to limit the chance of the virus spreading. The Government have indicated that by limiting the number of children who attend schools, settings and colleges, the spread of the virus will reduce and lower the risk to vulnerable individuals in our communities.
School, settings and colleges are being directed to continue to provide care for a limited number of children – children who are deemed vulnerable and children whose parents are critical to the Covid-19 response and cannot be cared for safely at home.
The Government have defined vulnerable children as children who are supported by social care, those with safeguarding and welfare needs, including child in need plans, on child protection plans, ‘looked after’ children, young carers, disabled children and those with education, health and care (EHC) plans.

The list of critical workers can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision

Even with some limited support for parents of vulnerable children and critical workers, the advice from the Government is clear: if you can safely look after your children during this time of a national emergency, then you should do so.

Children with Education Health and Care Plans (EHCP)
If your child has an EHCP they will be able to attend a school, college or setting. This is an offer and there is no requirement for you to send your child(ren) to school if you do not need to or wish not to do so, you must let your education provider know what you decide.
It is likely that there will be changes to the opening times for some schools in order to remain open in a safe way. Your school will provide you with details of what their plans are and what any changes will mean for you and your child(ren).

The Government are putting legislation in place to temporarily amend parts of the Children and Families Act 2014, including those relating to special educational provision and health care provision in EHCPs. It is highly unlikely that schools, settings and colleges will be able to provide the same provision that is in your child’s current plan but they will work with you around suitable arrangements for your child(ren). There will be delays in the timescales for requests for assessment and new EHCPs during this time.
The majority of children with SEND, who receive SEN Support at school but do not have an EHCP, are expected to stay at home, unless as a parent you are deemed a critical worker.

For children with health needs or underlying health conditions
Schools and colleges will work with parents to make a case by case assessment of the health and safeguarding considerations of children with an EHCP. For some, they will be safer in an education provision. For others, they will be safer at home. Schools and colleges will discuss this with you.

If you are a critical worker:
Children with at least one parent or carer identified as a critical worker by the Government can send their children to a school, college or setting if required. The list of critical workers is above.
Even though you may be deemed a critical worker, it is expected that if your child(ren) can stay at home, they should do so.
Schools, settings and colleges will not be able to provide an education offer to your child(ren) but will be able to provide facilities to enable you to go to work. All normal and usual education activity has been suspended during this emergency period.
If you are not a critical worker and your child(ren) is not classified as vulnerable:
We appreciate that this is a concerning time for all parents, but we are all being urged to do what we can to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
The most recent scientific advice on how to further limit the spread of COVID-19 is clear. If children can stay safely at home, they should, to limit the chance of the virus spreading.
That is why the government has asked parents to keep their children at home, wherever possible, and directed schools to be open only for those children who absolutely need to attend.

Education resources for children
Schools, colleges and settings will be providing a range of resources to support you at home with your child(ren).
Schools are working closely with the Local Authority and the Headteacher Associations in order to offer a consistent and safe response to the current crisis. The health and safety of your children is everyone’s first priority.

Thank you for your co-operation at this time.

Kind Regards,

Clare Kershaw
Director of Education
Sent of behalf of:
Essex County Council
The Association of Secondary Headteachers in Essex
Essex Primary Headteacher Association
Essex Special Schools Education Trust

Please note that, due to the Coronavirus situation, the Parish Council offices are closed until further notice. 

There will also be no further Council Meetings until further notice.

The telephone number below is diverting to our Clerk and Assistant Clerk, who are both working from home.

Clerk to the Council: Mrs Diane Smith
Assistant Clerk: Mrs Heather Read

Phone: 01371 823071
Email: ku.vog.cp-detslefobfsctd-7bb215@krelc

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