Healthwatch Brent - Survivor Stories: In conversation with Michael Rosen. Monday on Zoom 6pm-7pm

 

When Michael Rosen was very ill with Covid  in 2020  it touched many who loved his writing for children as well as others who know him as a fellow political activist. It was only when he emerged from a coma that he found out about all the messages of support that has been sent to his family. He published the diary kept by the NHS staff who cared for him  while he was in a coma and speaks about it HERE.

Michael Rosen has not been afraid to share the role that grief and trauma have had in his life. In speaking out about his experiences – and the lessons he has learned as a survivor – he inspires many more of us to find our own route to recovery and seek out moments of hope and happiness.

Since his personal fight with Covid-19 in 2020, Michael has been one of the most vocal champions of our NHS service, and the great work done by everyday people who take on life-saving professions. His experiences are shared in the book ‘Many Different Kinds of Love: A story of life, death and the NHS’.

More recently, his book ‘Getting Better’ takes a broader look at loss and adversity, considering what it can mean to live well in spite of the dark times that can come to any of us.

Join Zoom Meeting hMeeting ID: 814 5518 7943 Passcode: 549399

Beware fake Covid-19 Text messages. The NHS never ask for bank details.

I received a text message this afternoon from a number ending in 505 6489 infrming me that I had been exposed to someone with Covid-19 and telling me I was required to take immediate action. A link to health-care-uk.com was given to order a PCR test.

When I tried to forward the text message to my email it was blocked as having a potentially harmful attachment.  Already suspicious of the mobile numbler and the fact that it was not an NHS website I went separately to the website that looks genuine but eventually asks for name, address, mobile and then bank details for 99p postage on the otherwise free PCR test.

Clearly this exploits people who may panic at the news of exposure.

The BBC has published a warning from the NHS:

The NHS is warning about widespread scam text messages telling recipients they have been in close contact with a Covid case.

"We've seen reports of fake NHS text messages about ordering Omicron Covid-19 test kits," it tweeted.

Close contacts of people who have tested positive are no longer advised to test.

The aim of the messages appears to be harvesting financial and personal information.

⚠️ We've seen reports of fake NHS text messages about ordering Omicron COVID-19 test kits.

We never ask for bank details, so please be aware of suspicious messages.

Find out more about scam emails, texts and phone calls ⬇️https://t.co/DV13iNJ6GK

— NHS (@NHSuk) June 21, 2022

Brent Covid deaths pass the 1,000 mark while booster rates remain troubling low

 

With Brent schools struggling to cover classes due to high Covid rates amongst staff and a lack of supply teachers it is sobering to see that by February 4th the numbers of deaths from Covid had passed 1,000.

At the same time, according to BBC figures above, only 38% of the population of Brent, despite the best imaginative efforts of the NHS and Brent Public Health, had received a booster or third dose.

Omicron may generally be mild in impact but another variant could come along and 'long covid' rates are troubling.

 It isn't over yet.

YOU can appear at Wembley Stadium on Sunday - for a Covid-19 jab! GIVE COVID-19 THE BOOT! Details

 

Pfizer Vaccination bookings for Wembley Stadium pop up event Sunday 19th December

About this event

Pfizer vaccination event Wembley Stadium

You can choose a booking in an allocated time slot. If there are no tickets left, then we will also be allowing walk-ins ( but bookings are prioritized )

12-15 year olds: First dose ( must be accompanied by an adult )

16-17 year olds: First dose and second dose ( 12 weeks after first )

18+: First dose, second dose ( eight weeks after first ) and boosters ( 3 months after second dose)

 

TICKETS CLICK HERE

Sign the NEU petition asking DfE to invest in better ventilation in schools as a Covid & other respiratory disease prevention measure

 To: Department of Education

We are concerned that when children return to school in September very few mitigations to slow the spread of Covid 19 will be present.

For example, according to DfE guidance, it won't be necessary to keep children in consistent groups, only very limited numbers of children will be contact traced by NHS Test and Trace and in general face coverings are 'not advised' for pupils, staff, or even visitors, anywhere on school premises.

In these circumstances there is a strong possibility of steeply increasing Covid cases in the Autumn, with some children suffering from Long Covid as a result. There are also concerns about a new wave of other respiratory diseases such as flu and RSV which are worse for children than Covid.

School staff, some of whom will not be double vaccinated, or are in a vulnerable group, are also in some cases still at risk of serious illness. Staff who are fully vaccinated are also still at risk of catching the virus and potentially developing Long Covid, which is already afflicting tens of thousands of school staff.

So we are very concerned that in an answer to a parliamentary question the DfE has confirmed that they have 'not provided specific additional funding for schools to improve classroom ventilation since January 2021' and that they are only now working on a pilot scheme to measure the adequacy of ventilation in classrooms.

The benefits of ventilation in the control of airborne diseases are already well understood and accepted - what we need now is concrete action to support schools rather than pilots which should have been undertaken more than a year ago.

Therefore we, the undersigned, call for urgent action by the DfE to invest in ventilation measures in our schools, including but not limited to the provision of CO2 monitors to monitor air quality and other measures, including where appropriate HEPA filters, which can help slow the spread of such diseases.

Map of Covid surge areas in Brent

 

Map supplied by Brent Council

The NEU combats fake vaccine news by backing learning materials based on solid science

 From the National Education Union - a brilliant initiative

 Today, the National Education Union formally endorses Are Vaccines Safe? and will promote the tools to its membership. As the largest education union in Europe, this is a major next step. 

The Runnymede Trust, a leading independent think tank on issues of race equality, is also supporting the materials.

• The Stephen Hawking Foundation has launched free critical-thinking learning tools for schools to support discussion around the topic of vaccinations.
• This school assembly and lesson plan has been developed in collaboration with schools, leading research institutions and community representatives.
• As a critical thinking teaching aid, the tools focus on the COVID vaccine and tackle head on conspiracy theories that have led to limited uptake in some communities.
• Today, the National Education Union adds its support to these vital materials. The NEU will be promoting them directly to its 450,000 members. Think-tank the Runnymede Trust is also supporting the teaching aid.

Available here as a PowerPoint, and over the course of 46 slides, Are Vaccines Safe? provides teachers and school leaders with accurate, up-to-date scientific information on a range of frequently asked questions about the vaccination programme. It has been structured to allow school age students to engage fully in a conversation about any uncertainties or concerns they may have. Staff who lead the assembly or class are provided with additional notes and references.

The Stephen Hawking Foundation is named after one of the most respected thinkers in modern science, who died in 2018. The Foundation has worked with staff at Morpeth School, London, who initially devised these materials for assemblies and classrooms, as a continuation of Hawking’s belief in critical thinking and public engagement with science.

The tools have now been further developed with Queen Mary University of London and the Vaccine Confidence Project at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) with the help of school-age students, teachers, scientists, science communicators and community representatives. The resources will continue to be subject to regular revision over the coming months, in order to keep pace with the science, the news agenda and the public conversation.

Are Vaccines Safe? was the brainchild of Ed Stubbs, a secondary school teacher at Morpeth School in Tower Hamlets, East London. He told us: “As a teacher previously working in inner-city Liverpool, and now in London, I have noticed students becoming increasingly fearful of vaccination. Some of my students and their families refuse their school vaccinations. I hear incorrect, and 'conspiracy' information shared in my classroom. I fear that students' real and fictional concerns increase UK vaccine hesitancy. The charged and often accusatory debate about vaccination choices can make young people feel hesitant about voicing their concerns and seeking help in debunking false information. They fear critical judgement over their doubts. I decided to create a set of unbiased resources for use in schools.”

The learning materials (PowerPoint file, Teacher's notes and PDF) can be downloaded free from the Stephen Hawking Foundation website. The public-facing link is www.stephenhawkingfoundation.org/vaccines. 

Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said:

“As a former science teacher myself, I know that school is absolutely the right place for this conversation to be held. Young people have many questions about COVID and the vaccine, and this is not surprising when they themselves have been so frequently at the centre of its news coverage. These brilliant tools are accessible and robust, tackling many of the myths which can build so easily online and within communities. We are sure that our members will find them a fantastic resource.”

Dr Halima Begum, chief executive of the Runnymede Trust, said:

“Young people are faced with conflicting information about vaccines at a time when we are all trying to cope with and manage a public health crisis like never before. Enabling young people to ask questions about vaccines and their efficacy, as well as build good public health and science understanding, will help with building their confidence in taking the vaccine and making an informed decision, supported by teachers.

"This will have a particularly positive effect on young people from BME groups who are often in households where their grandparents and parents rely on good advice from their children, as a result of various cultural barriers in accessing community health support.”

Lucy Hawking, chair of the Stephen Hawking Foundation's Trustees, said:

"We are delighted to have the endorsement of two organisations with such strong dedication to schools and their communities. Working on these tools has been one of the most timely and impactful projects the Stephen Hawking Foundation has ever run. This is essential educational outreach at a critical time, and we greatly appreciate the efforts of everyone involved throughout its development.

"Initial feedback shows a warm reception by educators in the UK and as we hoped, is a useful and productive resource for schools to give students a chance to explore issues around vaccination through asking questions and providing accurate, scientific answers. We hope more schools, families and students will have the chance to access this resource.” 

Professor Heidi Larson, director of the Vaccine Confidence Project, said: 

"I feel teachers are ideally placed to combat the UK’s falling vaccination rates. This programme has been carefully calibrated to include the insights of some of the leading scientists in this field but to make the information accessible to people of all ages and communities.”

The tools have also been developed with and supported by science communicator Dr Emily Grossman, who said:

“In a world full of fake news and dangerous misinformation, it’s so important that the young people of today can find out the truth about the COVID vaccine.

"This set of resources is so valuable, not only because it communicates simply and effectively the science behind how vaccines work, how effective they are and how safe they are; but also because it allows young people to ask questions and it allays concerns they might have from reading confusing, conflicting and at times frightening reports on the internet. The more widely this resource pack is distributed, the better informed this generation will be. Not only will that allow them to make better decisions based on solid science, it will also give them the tools they need in order to analyse information more critically in the future.”

How to spot a Covid or Vaccination Scam - advice from the Metropolitan Police

 

North Wembley residents encouraged to take part in enhanced testing to control spread of Covid-19 South African variant

Residents and workers in North Wembley are being asked to get tested following the discovery of a case of the South African Covid-19 variant in the area.

Everyone aged 16 and over who live or work in the enhanced testing area below are being asked to take a PCR Covid-19 test, even if they are not showing any symptoms.

This is to see if it has spread in the community and if so, to help contain it by asking all those affected and their recent contacts to self-isolate.

 

Those without symptoms are being asked to get tested at:

• Brent Civic Centre Testing Site (1^st floor), Engineers Way, Wembley Park, HA9 0FJ. Opening hours: 8am-8pm. To book: visit the online booking page.

Those with symptoms are being asked to get tested at either:

• Northwick Park Testing Site, Northwick Park Sports Pavilion, Capital Ring, HA1 3GX. Opening hours: 8am-12noon. To book: call 020 8937 4440 or book online at www.gov.uk/coronavirus.
• Wembley Testing Site. Large Car Park, London Road, Wembley, HA9 7EU. Opening hours: 8am-8pm. To book: call 020 8937 4440 or book online at www.gov.uk/coronavirus.

Home testing kits will be delivered to a small number of addresses and letters will be sent to these households letting them know.

Any positive cases will be examined to determine which strain of the virus the person has been infected with. This will help to see how far – if at all – the South African variant has spread in the community and to enable better understanding of this variant.

Those who test positive may be able to claim a £500 payment if they are on a lower income and cannot go to work because they are self-isolating.

Dr Melanie Smith, Director of Public Health at Brent Council, said:

A case of the new South African variant of COVID-19 has been found in North Wembley and cannot be traced back to international travel.

We’re encouraging all those living in the enhanced testing area to get tested so we can see how far – if at all – the virus has spread.

Not only will this enable us to find any more cases of the variant, but it may help us find more cases of Covid-19 in general, particularly from those not showing symptoms, and this will in turn help us reduce the spread of the virus in Brent.

It doesn’t matter whether you have symptoms or not, please do the right thing and get tested to protect your family, friends and community.

Professor Kevin Fenton, Regional Director at Public Health England London, said:

The UK has one of the best genomic systems in the world which has allowed us to detect the variant originating in South Africa here in North Wembley. I urge everyone offered a test to take it up to help us to monitor the virus in our communities and to help suppress and control the spread of this variant.

The most important thing is that people continue to follow the guidance that is in place – limit your number of contacts, wash your hands regularly and thoroughly, keep your distance and cover your face. If you test positive by any method, you must isolate to stop the spread of the virus.

For more information, visit www.brent.gov.uk/enhancedtesting

#CollectingBrent: creativity and kindness during Covid-19

 

Brent Museum is hosting an online exhibition of images it has collected from the community during the Covid-19 pandemic. It celebrates the kindness and creativity of people across the borough during this most difficult time.

 

 

You can find the exhibition here, on the Brent Museum website.

 

Grants available to Brent communities & organisations wanting to tackle health inequalities

 From Brent Council

Grants from £1,000 to £25,000 are being made available to individuals and organisations with innovative ideas and solutions to tackle the impact of COVID-19 and health inequalities.

The Brent Health Matters Programme – a joined up approach from Brent Council, NHS partners and the community to tackle health inequalities has launched its Community Grants Scheme this week.

Health inequalities are avoidable, unfair and systematic differences in health between different people. The pandemic has not only exposed long-standing health inequalities, but in many cases made them worse.

Cllr Neil Nerva, Brent’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, Culture and Leisure, said:

The fund is now open to submissions from individuals and organisations that have ideas and solutions to reduce the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 in the short term, and more broadly tackle health inequality issues in the longer term.

An individual can bid for up to £1,000, with a higher threshold of £2,000, whereas an organisation can look to secure up to £15,000 in funding, with a higher threshold of £25,000. The higher threshold would require the bidder to demonstrate how they will deliver significant impact in a single ward or impact across multiple wards.

The launch of the grants will complement other elements of the Brent Health Matters programme that have already led to some real examples of acting on feedback from the community. This includes the launch of a health and wellbeing telephone advice line that has been launched as a pilot for the whole of the borough through to April, with the potential for it to be extended.

Cllr Nerva added: 

Any Brent resident can now speak to locally based NHS staff to ask any non-clinical questions about health and social care. They will be helped with signposting to relevant support and assisted to access the right services. Residents can also receive advice on how to better manage their health conditions.

The Advice Line is available on 020 3114 7185, 10am to 3pm, Monday to Friday.

To find out more, including how to apply for a Community Grant, go to www.brent.gov.uk/brenthealthmatters

Brent Trades Council Meeting: "Toward Zero Covid: a campaign to beat the pandemic in Brent" - Wednesday February 24th

 

Brent Trades Council's next meeting will be an online rally "Toward Zero Covid: a campaign to beat the pandemic in Brent" on Wednesday February 24th at 7pm.

Our panel of speakers include :

 

Helen O'Connor, GMB and ex-nurse, who leads on this campaign on the People's Assembly

Shelly Asquith from the TUC who has been invited to speak on the importance of unionisation and working with Labour councils

Dr Jonathan Fluxman from Unite Doctors branch on the proposed campaign in Brent urging Brent Council to provide hotel accommodation when a family member needs to self-isolate .  Households are the most common place for spread of the virus and we have many low-income overcrowded households in Brent, an important reason for the high death rate in the borough.   

 

Patrick Vernon (OBE and member of Unison). He will address the difficult question of vaccine hesitancy. Amongst other achievements, Patrick was awarded an OBE in 2012 for his work on tackling health inequalities and was included in the 2020 Power list of 100 influential Black People in Britain.

 

ZOOM LINK

Monday February 1st: Second Brent Webinar for those hesitant about vaccination

Brent Council are running another webinar about the COVID vaccine this coming Monday (1st February) at the same time (between 6pm and 7.30pm).

 

Go to:https://vaccinewebinar2.eventbrite.co.uk to register for the webinar, which is titled ‘Are you hesitant to take the COVID vaccine?’

 

The webinar will aim to build trust amongst those in the community who are showing signs of hesitancy when it comes to having the vaccine. This will be achieved by outlining the facts, addressing all the pertinent issues and explaining the science.

 

The webinar will include presentations to help explain how the virus affects people’s immune system, the science behind the vaccine, and the issues of trust and doubt that local people might have in relation to the vaccine.

 

 

A Brent resident undecided about the Covid vaccine? Attend this webinar tonight.

 

Aware of wariness about the Covid vaccinations from some residents and particularly concern over low take-up in the BAME community, Brent Council is putting on a special Webinar tonight.

This is the announcement from the Brent Council website:

Residents who want to know more about the COVID-19 vaccine are being invited to a free webinar to get answers to their questions.

Taking place on Monday, January 25, between 6pm and 7.30pm, the free session will enable participants to separate the facts from the fiction and gain a better understanding when it comes to being vaccinated against COVID-19.

The session will include a panel of community representatives and a local Doctor and will be hosted by Cllr Promise Knight, Brent’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Engagement.

”Thousands of people in Brent, and more than 3.5million across the country, have already chosen to take up the vaccination against COVID 19, but we know some people are wary of it,” said Cllr Knight. “Others have adopted a wait and see approach, and obviously this is about personal choice.

“But be under no illusions that the number of COVID infections, hospitalisations and deaths remains worryingly high and residents need all the facts so they can make their own informed choice when the vaccine is offered to them.”

Dr John Licorish, Deputy Director of Public Health Brent, will give a presentation about the COVID 19 vaccine at the webinar that will also include a panel of community representatives.

These will include Alton P Bell, Senior Pastor at Wembley Family Church, who grew up and attended schools in Brent and is a qualified Industrial Chemist, IT specialist, theologian, church leader, writer, mentor and community activist.

Dr Musharraf Hussain al-Azhari, will also be on the panel. Chief Executive of the Karimia institute, he has a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences. After twelve years as a scientist he decided to dedicate himself to developing Muslim communities in the UK, studying, teaching and writing twenty books and more than three hundred essays.

Atara Fridler will also be a panel member. She has been the Director at Crisis Brent Skylight since April 2016, overseeing the delivery of services to over 500 people who are either homeless or faced with homelessness.

Residents can sign-up to attend the webinar online by clicking here.

More information about the rollout of the NHS COVID-19 vaccination programme in the borough, is available on our website.

UPDATED WITH DATA SETS & METHODOLOGY: Department for Education releases data on the impact of coronavirus on the school workforce

 Rate of infection school staff

From the National Education Union 

The Department for Education has finally released data on the impact of coronavirus on the school workforce in “Attendance in education and early years settings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.” 

The dataset includes the number of teachers and school leaders, teaching assistants and other staff absent with a confirmed case of coronavirus.

Using this data we have been able to calculate an estimate for the rate of coronavirus infection amongst school staff.

The data shows that there are much higher COVID rates of infection amongst teachers and other school staff than for the general population. This finding is in contradiction to the reassurances regularly given by the Department and by Public Health England, including by Dr Jenny Harries giving evidence to the Education Select Committee this morning.

• On average the rate of COVID infection is 1.9 times higher amongst primary and secondary teachers than the general population. It is 2 times higher for special school teachers.
• For teaching assistants and other staff, the rate of COVID infection is three times higher in primary schools and almost seven times higher in special schools.

The Government has been collecting this information since early October.

Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said: 

“These shocking figures raise further very serious questions about the handling of coronavirus in schools.

“What investigations have the Department for Education made into these figures?

“Why have the ministers repeatedly told school staff and the public that there was no reason for concern when these figures indicate that there should have been real concern about the much higher COVID infection rates of teachers and other school staff?

“Why did ministers deny clinically extremely vulnerable staff the right to work from home?

“Why has it taken ministers so long to release this data?”

"What mitigating measures will ministers now propose?"

1. Attendance in education and early years settings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
2. Teachers and school leaders chart 
3. Teaching assistants and other staff chart 
4. Spreadsheet 
5.  UPDATE Published January 22nd 2021 by Education Policy Institute: Covid related teacher and pupil absence over 2020 Autumn Term: https://epi.org.uk/publications-and-research/covid-related-teacher-absences/

DATE SETS AND METHODOLOGY (Click bottom right square for full size)

 

 

 

Sainsbury's message on keeping staff and shoppers safe

 Following concern over the lack of Covid safety measures at some supermarkets, Simon Roberts, CEO of Sainsbury's, issued the following message today:

Dear Martin,

I have spent a lot of time in our stores over the past few days and I need to ask for your help with two key issues to keep you and all my colleagues safe.

When shopping in our stores, you must wear a mask or visor unless you have a medical exemption. And you should also shop on your own. Thank you for your support.

Security guards will support our colleagues at the front of store and will challenge customers who are not wearing masks or who are shopping in groups. I know you’ll understand and support what we are trying to do.

We have also significantly reduced the number of customers allowed in our stores at any one time to ensure social distancing is maintained at all times.

Together, these steps will go a long way to keep everyone safe, whether you are shopping or working with us.

Please wear a mask or visor and please shop alone in our stores. Thank you for helping us to keep everyone safe.

Best wishes  Simon

BBC announce curriculum-based learning on CBBC, BBC 2, Red Button & BBC iplayer from Monday January 11th

 

Following pressure on social media over the weekend, as the focus moved to children unable to access on-line learning durign school closures, the BBC has announced a programme of curriculum based learning.

The BBC announcement

Reacting quickly to the news of UK schools moving to remote learning, the new offer from the BBC will ensure all children can access curriculum-based learning, even if they don’t have access to the internet.

Starting on Monday 11 January, each week day on CBBC will see a three-hour block of primary school programming from 9am, including BBC Live Lessons and BBC Bitesize Daily, as well as other educational programming such as Our School and Celebrity Supply Teacher and much loved titles such as Horrible Histories, Art Ninja and Operation Ouch.

BBC Two will cater for secondary students with programming to support the GCSE curriculum, with a least two hours of content each weekday.

Content will be built around Bitesize Daily secondary shows, complemented by Shakespeare and classic drama adaptations alongside science, history and factual titles from the BBC’s award-winning factual programming units.

Bitesize Daily primary and secondary will also air every day on BBC Red Button as well as episodes being available on demand on BBC iPlayer.

Tim Davie, BBC Director General, says: “Ensuring children across the UK have the opportunity to continue to follow the appropriate core parts of their nation’s school curriculum has been a key priority for the BBC throughout this past year.

“Education is absolutely vital - the BBC is here to play its part and I’m delighted that we have been able to bring this to audiences so swiftly.”

This TV offer sits alongside a wealth of online content which parents, children and teachers can access when and where they need it:

• For primary, BBC Bitesize online has an expanded offer of structured lessons in Maths and English for all year groups - these can be used at home or in the classroom. ‘This Term’s Topics’ also covers other curriculum subjects and curates learning content that works for the Spring curriculum. This content can be easily incorporated into a learning plan or used to explore different topics at home. Visit bbc.co.uk/bitesize, click on the year group and subject and all the content is there.

• For secondary pupils, Bitesize is also home to two-week learning packs for English and Maths in KS3 (years 7, 8 and 9) as well as This Term’s Topics for other subjects to be used at home or to support teachers in the remote classrooms.

• For students in Years 10 and 11, the Bitesize GCSE offer allows students to pick their exam board and subject to find everything they need to help with their studies. Visit bbc.co.uk/bitesize/secondary for details.

Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, says: “The BBC has helped the nation through some of the toughest moments of the last century, and for the next few weeks it will help our children learn whilst we stay home, protect the NHS and save lives.

“This will be a lifeline to parents and I welcome the BBC playing its part.”

Educational content for all nations will also be available.

UPDATED with Cllr Georgiou's reply - Asda responds to complaints that their Wembley store is not Covid safe

 

Cllr Anton Georgiou has received a response to his complaint that its Wembley store is not safe in terms of enforcing Covid safety measures such as mask wearing and social distancing. Cllr Georgiou said that the store was putting its customer and staff at significant risk. LINK

I leave readers to decide whether the answer is satisfactory and will publish any reply that Cllr Georgiou passes on to Wembley Matters,

 

Hello Councillor Georgiou

 

Thank you for speaking with me on New Years Eve, I hope you were able to celebrate the new year safely.

 

Since the start of the crisis, our highest priority has been keeping our customers and colleagues as safe as possible in line with the latest Government guidance.

 

All colleagues were encouraged to wear face coverings when in our stores and were provided with masks. With the new update all colleagues will be wearing a face covering, who are able to do so. 

 

We have also implemented Marshals at the entry to our stores to offer face masks for customers to use if they have forgotten theirs and they are also monitoring the volume of customers entering our stores to ensure the volume of customers entering the store is not near the maximum total.

 

By asking colleagues to confront members of the public who are not wearing a face covering, it can lead to situations where they are subject to verbal and physical abuse. We have a responsibility to protect the welfare of our colleagues, so encourage them to intervene only when they feel it is safe to do so.

 

I should emphasise we are continuing to maintain our other social distancing measures, including limiting the number of customers in store (well below the usual occupancy level) and having regular reminders on the need to maintain distance. This is done via extensive signage and colleagues wearing t-shirts emphasising the need to distance. There is also hand sanitiser and disinfectant available to all customers. Our social distancing measures are monitored by store leadership and our regional compliance teams. If government guidance changes, we are able to adapt quickly to it.

 

We have put in place increased cleaning protocols, further reduced the customer limits and have supported our vulnerable colleagues by moving them to roles in the store with less customer contact.

 

I have also raised yours and your constituents concerns to the General Store Manager to ensure customers are abiding to the guidelines, whilst in our stores and any abusive behaviour from customers will not be tolerated.

 

If there is anything in the future I can assist with, please feel free to contact me directly. 

 

Many Thanks and Stay Safe

 

Elliott

 

Asda Executive Relations

 

Today (January 7th), Cllr Georgiou replied:

Whilst I am pleased to read about the safety measures that are supposedly in place at present, I am unconvinced these are being strictly followed in the Wembley store, hence my initial complaint to you. Following my report and posting on social media about the experience I had in the store, several Brent residents have responded to outline similar concerns and worries. The latest being yesterday.

 

In our phone call, I requested that you outline what specific changes Asda will be making to guarantee safety for customers and staff at the Wembley store. Could you please let me know what changes you plan to make, as I fear that the current strategy simply is not working.

 

I look forward to hearing from you. Keep safe.

 

Anton

 

Cllr Anton Georgiou

Liberal Democrat Councillor, Alperton