As we are now entering a further period of lockdown, we will need to make some changes to our repairs and gardening services with immediate effect.

Repairs

Necessary jobs which we are classifying as emergency and urgent will be carried out. For jobs already booked in we will contact tenants to check if they would still like the jobs carried out and it is safe to do so.

Any new jobs that are not emergency or urgent will be taken and kept on the system until such time as we can carry out the work and the lockdown has been eased.

Safety checks

We will continue to carry out safety checks, such as annual gas safety and electrical checks, as they are essential and a legal requirement.

If you need to book an essential repair, you can do so by calling the repairs hotline on 0345 60 100 30, or through our customer portal - My Orwell.

• Visitors - We will no longer be allowing visitors into locations with the exception of emergency services, or NHS professionals delivering essential care. We have been making use of the great weather and our outdoor spaces for families to have contact with each other. If this is something you would like to do, please contact your local service.
   
• Isolation - We will be asking residents to remain on site. We are mindful that the government has eased lockdown restrictions and so long as precautions are followed such as social distancing, hand washing and the use of PPE, people are allowed to leave their homes and access local communities and meet with friends and family. However, we remain concerned at the devastating prospect of the COVID-19 virus entering our services and are sure that you not only share our concern, but will want to help protect people living in our services. The government has introduced "social bubbles" to support one person households, in order to help you with your wellbeing and to follow the guidance we would advise that you nominate one neighbour, that is someone in the service you live, to be your one person in your bubble, this enables you to visit this person as often as you would like, but only this person, not a different person on a different day or someone who doesn't live at the scheme.
   
• Activities - we will endeavour to provide activities and exercise to residents providing that social distancing is applied and that the resident has been self-isolating within the service. We are investing in video conference technology to support our residents to stay connected with friends and families.
   
• Deliveries - We will not allow people making deliveries into the building. Systems for the delivery and collection of food and other essential items beyond the front door of the location will be managed locally. We are more than happy to arrange to collect items from the front door and ensure these are passed onto the recipient.
   
• Repairs and Maintenance - In locations where we are landlord contractors and our own maintenance teams will only be completing emergency repairs and life critical servicing. Residents may continue to report all repairs in the usual way, but only emergency repairs will be processed; non-emergency repairs will be recorded but completion will only be arranged once restrictions around COVID-19 are lifted.
   
• Hospital discharges - Where a resident has been admitted to hospital and is considered fit to return home we are working with NHS colleagues to safely enable this to happen. An essential requirement is that the person will be tested and isolated in their accommodation for a minimum of 14 days so that we can be sure that they do not have the virus.
   
• Testing - Working together with the NHS and local Councils we are now in a position to be able to test any person that shows symptoms of the virus. This is an important step in allowing us to intelligently manage services and prevent the spread of the virus.
   
• Staff - The staff are our hero's. They are working long hours and are dedicated to keeping residents happy, safe and healthy. We have the correct PPE and we are using this as recommended by the government which is when we can't socially distance and need to provide care, have contact with people who are shielding or we need to assess someone.
   
• Communication:
• Update letter sent to relatives - 18 December 2020
  Update letter sent to relatives - 24 August 2020
  Update letter sent to all Extra Care residents - 17 April 2020 
  Letter with regards to the locking of doors sent to all Extra Care residents - 17  April 2020  

We will continue to ensure your gas boilers are safe and gas safety checks and servicing will continue at this time. Please allow the engineers access to your boiler if your gas servicing is due, we are legally obliged to continue this service.

They will ensure that they wear all the correct protective equipment and maintain the two-metre social distancing from all customers. We would ask you to do the same and keep your distance from the engineer while the boiler is being serviced.

A new ‘Find Help’ toolkit has been developed to support people if they, or someone they know are struggling because of Coronavirus.  It covers a range of circumstances including feeling unsafe, going in to work, paying bills, being unemployed, getting food, having somewhere to live and mental health and wellbeing. 

If you use the toolkit, you will need to answer some simple questions which will suggest sources of help and support. There will not be direct support from the Government or organisations through this service, but there will be signposting to the relevant services who can help. The tool is currently available on GOV.UK and is regularly reviewed and updated to include additional advice and support on an ongoing basis or as it becomes available.

Please be aware that this is just a toolkit and will only offer information to point you in the right direction.

We have been busy contacting the few remaining tenants who still pay their rent in cash to make alternative arrangements during this time.

We would also ask that you don’t use cheques at this time as this could result in longer delays in crediting your rent account.

Please contact Customer Services or your Housing Officer who will be able to provide bank details to which you can arrange direct payments.

Please keep in touch with your Housing Officer if you have any concerns relating to your home. They are able to offer help and assistance in applying for Universal Credit to assist with your rent payments. We understand that many people may have worries about their employment and pay during this time and we are here to help and support you, so please get in touch if you have any concerns.

With lockdown measures still in place, it is important that those who may find themselves at risk of abuse at home, can access the right support at whatever time they need. Click here for more information.

We have contacted all of our customers who are over 70 years old or who we know to have underlying health conditions to check that they have friends and family supporting them during this difficult time. If we haven’t been in contact and you need some support, please call or email us and we will do our best to help you.

We are sorry that we are unable to offer the full range of services that you are used to and we very much hope to get back up to normal levels of service as soon as possible.  I am sure you understand these are unprecedented times and we are doing all we can to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and continue to support and care for our customers and tenants.

We do not deem this work as necessary at this time and will stop this work until further notice.

If we do need to come to your property to carry out any work during lockdown, our team will need to ask you a few questions to ensure that it is safe for us to do so.

The team are running a reduced service to currently only provide sanitising to touch areas within our Sheltered and Extra Care Schemes and, where possible, in general needs communal areas.

If you have any health and safety concerns regarding external or internal communal areas, please contact Customer Service 0345 60 100 30.

We are all aware that there is a large amount of information being shared at the moment, both through the traditional media outlets and social media. We would encourage everyone to use the up to date and easy to follow information provided by the UK Government and the NHS on the websites below:

NHS - https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/ 

UK Government - https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/coronavirus-covid-19-uk-government-response 

It's understandable to be worried about the impact COVID-19 may have on you or those you care about. During this difficult time, try to stay calm and follow the official advice from the Government. The charity Mind has information you might find helpful and the Samaritans have also produced a webpage to support people during this period which is available here. Alternatively, they can be emailed on jo@samaritians.org (response time is 24 hours).

Draw on support you might have through your friends, family and other networks during this time. Try to stay in touch with those around you over the phone, by post, or online. Let people know how you would like to stay in touch and build that into your routine. This is also important in looking after your mental wellbeing and you may find it helpful to talk to them about how you are feeling.

Remember it is OK to share your concerns with others you trust and in doing so you may end up providing support to them too. Or you can use a NHS recommended helpline.

If you are worried about paying your rent or charges throughout this challenging period, please call us on 0345 60 100 30 and we will be happy to talk this through with you. The Government have also provided a help page for people who receive benefits and have concerns. This page can be accessed here: https://www.understandinguniversalcredit.gov.uk/coronavirus/