BDEF is an organisation of Disabled people who live, work or study in the Bristol area of England.
To help with inspiration and to keep spirits up, here is some digitally accessible culture from Bristol City Council
Bristol Museums, A dose of culture from home
Watch theatre, music and dance shows at home during the COVID-19 pandemic (ongoing list) Culture to your couch: arts you can experience at home
How to explore the British Museum from home
Take a virtual tour of the National Gallery
Tate online displays
see Bansky’s street art, virtually
For all those struggling financially due to coronavirus, you do not have to go through this alone. There is some great information and advice, as well as an online assessment form where you can see what money might be available to you (called a benefits calculator) here: https://www.turn2us.org.uk/
Published 3 April 2020
This pass provides evidence of entitlement to free parking for those on duty as an NHS staff member, health or social care worker, or NHS Volunteer Responder. This is to enable them to access parking concessions in local authority-owned off-street car parks and on-street bays during the COVID-19 emergency response period.
The pass does not replace any existing permit that has been issued by a local authority for COVID-19 parking concessions, which you should continue to use. You can also continue to use any other evidence of entitlement to these parking concessions that has previously been accepted by your local authority.
Everyone who is entitled to COVID-19 parking concessions, as well as local authority parking enforcement, should read the following general guidance.
Passes will be made available through NHS Trusts, local authorities and the Royal Voluntary Service. If you are a Direct Payments’ employer and need a pass for your PAs, contact We Are Bristol on 0800 694 0184 (currently operating 8:30am-5:00pm Mon-Fri and 10:00am-2.00pm Sat-Sun) or email: coronavirus@bristol.gov.uk
and request one.
When the pass is clearly displayed and used in accordance with these guidance notes, pass users will not usually receive PCNs and should not be towed away, unless they are parked causing a serious obstruction.
If you have a Blue Badge, the Blue Badge rules apply.
When the pass is clearly displayed and used in accordance with these guidance notes, pass users will not usually receive PCNs and should not be towed away, unless they are parked causing a serious obstruction.
where loading and unloading restrictions (kerb markings) are in operation
We have some changes to services:
If you need help using our services or need access to a computer to contact us, you can visit the Citizen Service Point.
From 18 March 2020 the Citizen Service Point (CSP) will only be handling emergency cases until further notice.
The decision has been taken to promote social distancing and to ensure some protection for frontline staff who serve hundreds of citizens on a daily basis. Services which will temporarily be unavailable in the CSP are all available either online or by telephone.
Many people find what they need online. You can:
The Citizen Service Point has computers that you can use to get council services.
You can also get advice from staff in person. If we think you’ll need more help, we’ll book a one to one appointment for you.
| Monday | 9am to 5pm |
| Tuesday | 9am to 5pm |
| Wednesday | 10am to 5pm |
| Thursday | 9am to 5pm |
| Friday | 9am to 5pm |
Don’t go to a park if you have symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19). Stay at home and self-isolate.
Local council, Mayoral and Police and Crime Commissioner elections due to take place in May 2020 have been postponed for a year.
Call Bristol Care Direct on 0117 922 2700 if your Personal Assistant can’t support you or meet your care needs due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) and you don’t have any other support network which means you have no care today or tonight.
Wecil and People Plus will continue to administer payroll by usual email or telephone
People Plus 0330 123 2815
Wecil 01179 479 933
Supermarket opening times in Bristol area
Aldi 8am -8pm
(8am – 9am for most vulnerable)
Asda 8am – 9pm
(8am – 9am for most vulnerable)
Co-op 7am – 8pm (petrol stores till 11pm)
(8am – 9am for most vulnerable Mo – Sat; 11am on Sundays)
Costco 10am – 8.30pm
Iceland 8am – 6pm
(8am – 10am on Wednesdays for most vulnerable)
Lidl 8am -8pm
(some individual stores have changed from this)
M& S foodhalls 8am – 8pm
Morrisons 9am -8pm
(9am – 10am for most vulnerable)
Sainsburys 8am – 8pm
(Mon, Wed, Fri 8am-9am for most vulnerable)
Waitrose open as usual
Other essential places open are:
Pharmacies
Newsagents
Petrol stations
Bicycle shops
Home and Hardware shops
Laundrettes
Dry cleaners
Pet shops
Post offices
Banks
GP surgeries and Dentists – please phone for their latest information. Help is available for online appointments on request.
This item has been provided by the Forum Co-Chair, Gordon Richardson, who thought this might be of interest. It explains about the virus, why some precautions work better than others and why some don’t work at all, and includes some simple but practical advice.
The following is from Irene Ken physician, whose daughter is an Assistant Professor in infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University.
a. The virus is not a living organism, but a protein molecule (DNA) covered by a protective layer of fat (lipid), which, when absorbed by the cells of the natural mucous in our eyes, nose or mouth/throat, changes their genetic code i.e. they mutate and are converted into aggressor and multiplier cells.
b. Since the virus is not a living organism but a protein molecule, it is not killed, but decays on its own. The disintegration time depends on the temperature, humidity and type of material where it lies.
c. The virus is very fragile; the only thing that protects it is a thin
outer layer of fat. That is why any soap or detergent is the best
remedy, because the foam cuts through the fat (that is why you have to rub so much: for 20 seconds or more, to make a lot of foam).
By dissolving the fat layer, the protein molecule is scattered and breaks down on its own.
d. Heat melts fat – this is why it is so good to use water above 77
degrees Fahrenheit for washing hands, clothes and everything. In
addition, hot water makes more foam and that makes it even more useful.
e. Alcohol or any mixture with alcohol over 65% dissolves any fat, especially the external lipid layer of the virus.
f. Any mix of one part bleach and 5 parts water directly dissolves the protein, breaking it down from the inside. But, make sure you are wearing household cleaning gloves to protect your skin.
g. Oxygenated water helps long after soap, alcohol and chlorine, because peroxide dissolves the virus protein, but you have to use it pure and it hurts your skin.
h. No bacteria killer or antibiotic works. The virus is not a living
organism like bacteria; antibodies cannot kill what is not alive.
i. NEVER shake used or unused clothing, sheets or cloth. While it is glued to a porous surface, it is very inactive and disintegrates in roughly:
But if you shake it, or use a feather duster, the virus molecules float
in the air for up to 3 hours, and can lodge in your nose.
j. The virus molecules remain very stable in external cold, or artificial environments such as air conditioners in houses and cars.
They also need moisture to stay stable, and especially darkness. Therefore, dehumidified, dry, warm and bright environments will cause it to die faster.
k. UV LIGHT on any object that may contain it breaks down the virus protein. For example, used properly UV light is perfect for disinfecting and re-using a mask. Be careful not to expose your skin to the light as it also breaks down collagen (which is protein) in the skin.
l. The virus cannot go through healthy skin.
m. Vinegar is not useful because it does not break down the protective layer of fat.
n. No spirits, nor vodka work. The strongest vodka is 40% alcohol, and you need at least 65%.
o. If you are stuck, Listerine is a better solution! It is 65% alcohol.
p. Confined spaces are likely to have a higher concentration of the virus than open or naturally ventilated place.
q. You have to wash your hands before and after touching mucous, food, locks, knobs, switches, remote control, cell phone, watches, computers, desks, TV, etc. – and when using the bathroom.
r. You need to moisturize more often as so much washing makes your hands much drier. You don’t want this to happen because the molecules can hide in the tiny cracks in dry skin. The thicker the moisturizer, the better.
s. Also keep your nails short so that the virus does not hide there.
* With many thanks to Johns Hopkins Hospital
The We Are Bristol support phone number – 0117 352 3011 – went live yesterday, and will offer support to residents across the city.
Call handlers will be available initially during office hours (8.30am-5pm, Monday to Friday) to provide support for people with a wide range of needs, including obtaining food supplies, other essential items and medication. They can also help arrange follow-up support with different organisations.
By John Pring on 19th March 2020 Listen
The government is facing accusations that its emergency planning for dealing with the coronavirus pandemic has “abandoned” Disabled people who use direct payments to employ their own personal assistants (PAs).
Although the government finally produced guidance for the social care sector on 13 March, that guidance is aimed at service-providers in the residential care, supported living and home care sectors, and not at individual Disabled people who employ their own care staff.
The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) has so far failed to produce any guidance for Disabled people on what they should do if they or their PAs become ill with coronavirus, or suspected coronavirus, or how to plan for such an eventuality.
And it had failed to ease those concerns …… despite attempts by Disability News Service (DNS) to clarify its position.
There are also concerns over how Disabled people employing their own PAs can secure supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gloves, aprons and masks.
It came as the UN’s special rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities warned that little had been done to protect the rights of Disabled people across the world during the pandemic (see separate storyhere ).
Among those who have raised concerns about DHSC’s failure to provide guidance is Baroness [Jane] Campbell, a crossbench peer and independent living campaigner, who relies on PAs for her personal care.
She has written to care minister Helen Whateley, pointing out the “urgent need for greater information and planning” for Disabled people who employ PAs.
She told the minister that she and other Disabled employers of PAs were “feeling particularly vulnerable at this time, without any detailed information on our particular circumstances.
“As we are deemed to be in the highest risk group, I feel there is an urgent need for greater information and planning for this cohort.”
Another Disabled campaigner who uses direct payments and PAs, who has asked to remain anonymous, expressed similar concerns.
She began showing flu-like symptoms this week and said she was originally advised by NHS 111 to “self-isolate”, after she described her symptoms over the phone.
But when she explained that she relied on care workers visiting her twice daily, she was put on hold by the telephone advisor, before eventually being told that it was OK for her care workers to come in as usual, as long as appropriate hygiene measures were taken.
She ignored this advice and is instead attempting to self-isolate without any support from care workers.
She said the information she received could mean that other Disabled people could be receiving care from a care worker who has come “directly from houses of people in self-isolation, on direct instructions from 111.”
She said that Disabled people on direct payments were “having to make a choice between your health and your care, the lack of which will impact on your health anyway”.
She added: “People all over are asking what happens if they need to self-isolate.
“There appears to be no official answer, support or plan of action. I’m in that situation and have had no joy from 111, social services or my GP.”
Anne Pridmore, director of Being the Boss, a user-led organisation which supports Disabled people who employ PAs, and who employs PAs herself, wrote to the director of social services at her local authority, Leicestershire County Council, asking what arrangements were in place for people who employ their own PAs through direct payments.
She received only a standard letter referring her to the government guidance, which says nothing about Disabled people on direct payments.
She said: “It feels to me like this government are just allowing Disabled people and elderly people to die.”
Pridmore has posted a video on social media, in which she explains her concerns.
She told DNS: “It needs to be said. There are a lot of us in this situation.”
She has now been told by the council that if her care arrangements break down, she will be placed in a residential home.
But she said she would “rather be dead with the virus” than live in a care home, while she thought it was unlikely that any home would accept someone in her position anyway because of the risks of infection.
She said: “I just think it’s shocking. We have been abandoned.”
Leicestershire County Council has also failed to comment.
By John Pring on 19th March 2020 Listen
Little has been done across the world to provide Disabled people with the support and guidance needed to protect them during the coronavirus pandemic, despite many of them being in a high-risk group, a UN human rights expert has warned.
Catalina Devandas Aguilar, the UN’s special rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, said Disabled people feel as though they have been “left behind”.
She said: “Containment measures, such as social distancing and self-isolation, may be impossible for those who rely on the support of others to eat, dress and bath.
“This support is basic for their survival, and States must take additional social protection measures to guarantee the continuity of support in a safe manner throughout the crisis.”
She called on governments to take reasonable measures to ensure Disabled people can reduce contact with others and cut the risk of contamination.
This should include allowing them to work from home, or providing access to financial aid.
She said: “Many people with disabilities depend on services that have been suspended and may not have enough money to stockpile food and medicine, or afford the extra cost of home deliveries.”
Devandas Aguilar also warned that the situation of Disabled people in institutions, including mental health units and prisons, was “particularly grave” because of the high risk of contamination and the lack of external oversight which could be aggravated by the use of emergency powers introduced to deal with the health crisis.
She said: “Restrictions should be narrowly tailored, and use the least intrusive means to protect public health.
“Limiting their contact with loved ones leaves people with disabilities totally unprotected from any form of abuse or neglect in institutions.”
She said governments should be reassuring Disabled people that their survival is a priority, and establishing “clear protocols” to ensure that access to healthcare does not discriminate against Disabled people.
And she said it was crucial that information on how to prevent and contain coronavirus was accessible to everyone through sign language, and the use of plain language, accessible digital technology, captioning, relay services, text messages, and easy-read formats.
She also said that organisations run and controlled by Disabled people should be consulted and involved at all stages of the COVID-19 response.
[With very many thanks to John Pring and Disability News Service, www.disabilitynewsservice.com ]
All NHS staff and care workers in Bristol can now park for free anywhere in the city, in addition to Trenchard Street car park and Horfield Leisure Centre car park.
Feeding Bristol and various food banks across the city are working with the Council to support those struggling to buy food.
The Council are sending an email to Bristol residents giving them information and advice about coronavirus and any service changes which may impact them. Please share the newsletter with anyone you think would benefit from it. There will be an unsubscribe option on each email, and the Council will also publicise on other channels how people can join the mailing list.
The Council have said they will be launching a public telephone number today, for anyone who is vulnerable, feels isolated and needs support. The number will be shared widely, both online and through offline communications so that they reach as many people who need the support as possible. People can also email coronavirus@bristol.gov.uk for support.
Bristol City Council have said they are working closely with health partners to implement national requirements for hospital discharge through a ‘discharge to assess’ model, ensuring that hospital beds are freed up to respond to additional demand.
They are setting up an Integrated Care Centre in Bristol where social care, Sirona and the voluntary sector will work together to ensure patients are discharged safely to appropriate support.
They have said they are prioritising:
This means all those who need short term support and want to return home, shouldn’t need to be put in a care home.
If you already get social care support, through and agency, a Direct Payment or a Personal Health Care Budget, your usual support will continue when you return home.
If you and the care provider agree you need more ongoing support than you were getting before going into hospital, you will need to be given a Care Assessment. If this doesn’t happen before your short term support ends, remind them that you will need that support you to be extended until you have a care package in place.
The number of UK cases of the virus can be viewed on this dashboard.
The Government have announced further measures to stop the disease spreading between households [link]. People will only be allowed to leave their home for the following very limited purposes:
The police will have the powers to enforce these measures, including through fines and dispersing gatherings.
To ensure compliance with the Government’s instruction to stay at home, the Government has:
Parks will remain open for exercise but gatherings will be dispersed. The full list of businesses and premises expected to close is available here [link].
The Government has said it will look again at these measures in 3 weeks, and relax them if the evidence shows this is possible. Updated guidance on staying at home and away from others has been published alongside this announcement [link].
The Foreign Secretary has also advised all British tourists and short-stay travellers currently abroad to return to the UK where commercial flight options are still available [link].
For businesses, the Government has announced additional measures in the emergency Coronavirus Bill to protect commercial tenants from eviction who cannot pay their rent because of coronavirus. The measures will mean no business will be forced out of their premises if they miss a payment in the next 3 months. As commercial tenants will still be liable for the rent after this period, the Government is monitoring the impact on commercial landlords’ cash flow and continues to be in dialogue with them. [link].
The legislation also includes new measures to support Business Improvement Districts (BID) – to ensure no area loses its BID during this period, the legislation will allow a delay to ballots between now and 31 December 2020 until March 2021.
Further guidance has also been issued on:
Bristol Cases
Bristol City Council
Public Communication Updates
Bristol Volunteering
Bristol Education Sector
Bristol Social Care Sector
Bristol Children’s Services Sector
Bristol Business Sector and Economy
Bristol Travel Sector