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COVID-19 Staff Survey – tell us about your lockdown experience
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The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all of our lives in an unprecedented way over the past two months, not just affecting the way we work but the way we live our lives, interact socially and carry out daily tasks. We realise that, for many, adapting to a new way of life has been challenging, so that’s why this week we want to hear about your experiences of the lockdown.
We are today releasing our COVID-19 Staff Survey, to find out your views on working arrangements, IT, remote working, health and safety and communications. Also, most importantly, we want to hear about how the lockdown has affected your physical and mental health and wellbeing.
For the results of this survey to be useful to our planning as an organisation, we need as many of you as possible to complete it. Please find the time to fill in the survey over the next few days. We will feed back the results, and what we will do with those results, over the coming weeks.
Chief Executive John Hooton said: “At the start of this year, nobody foresaw the impact that COVID-19 would end up having on us as an organisation, as a nation and globally. I would personally like to thank everyone for adapting so well to the challenges that it has thrown up – from those who are continuing to deliver critical services for our residents, to those who have been deployed in specific roles to fight the impacts of the virus, as well as those of you who are having to adapt to daily working from home.
“We recognise the impacts that the lockdown will have had on many of you, and that’s why this week we want to hear your views. Please find ten minutes in your busy schedules to fill in the COVID-19 Staff Survey. It will help us plan our future steps as an organisation and provide any extra support where it may be needed.”
We will be making paper surveys available at various settings across the council, including our two depots. The survey will also be available on the intranet. Your manager will be in touch in due course to encourage you to take part and let you know how to take part if you have not got access to the internet.
The survey can be accessed here. Please fill it in by next Friday 22 May.
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Focus on… Mike Koumi, Head of Safety, Health and Wellbeing
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Why we should be supporting Fostering Fortnight
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In the latest of our 'Focus on...' series we speak to Mike Koumi, Head of Safety, Health and Wellbeing (SHaW), about his team's important work since the outbreak of the pandemic, as well as his own close encounter with COVID-19. Edited highlights of his answers are below - read the full interview on Yammer here:
Q. As the Head of Safety, Health and Wellbeing, you have one of the most important roles in the council as this crisis began and now as we begin to plan for a gradual eventual return of some services. What do people need to know about your plans and the risk assessments that will need to take place over the coming weeks and months?
A. Our aim has always been to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our staff, whilst we continue to carry out essential services for our residents. We have closely followed and applied guidance issued by Public Health England, and given advice and support to ensure we continue to protect our staff and residents. My team's early work in sourcing PPE has also put us in a good position in being able to provide these supplies to those that need it. The recent Government announcement re-emphasises the council's message that staff should continue to work from home where they are able. Guidance has been issued with the focus being on risk assessments. My team and I are busy digesting this guidance with the aim of providing managers and staff with the tools and support they need to ensure risks are properly managed.
Q. When the majority of the organisation shifted to remote working in March, one of our key concerns was that they were working in appropriate conditions. What has your team done to ensure this is the case?
A. My team, together with my Public Health colleagues, have continued to provide guidance and regular messages regarding not just health and safety but also staff wellbeing. We have issued guidance on home working that includes how to set up a workstation and produced a “Home Working Self – Assessment form” that staff should have completed and sent to their manager. Alongside this, messages on physical and mental wellbeing have been regularly posted and the resources on our “Wellbeing Hub” are constantly being updated to help staff with issues as wide ranging as social isolation to
exercise. We have focused a lot on mental wellbeing as there has been such a significant change to people’s lives.
Q. Unfortunately, you had first-hand experience of how COVID-19 affects the body. How did it affect you, and what would you say about your experience?
A. Yes, unfortunately I was diagnosed as likely to have the virus at the end of March. The first week was not too bad with just a bit of a temperature and cough. The second week though it progressed to an extremely high fever and breathlessness. It was a very difficult time for me and my family and I was on the verge of being admitted to hospital. Thankfully I was able to fight it without emergency care and avoided being admitted. It left me feeling extremely fatigued and I still have some after effects of tiredness and a little breathlessness to date. I must give a big thank you to Jay Patel who stepped into my shoes whist I was unwell, during a very critical time in our response to COVID-19. I would also like to thank the rest of my team who worked, and continue to work, extremely hard to support the organisation.
To read the full interview with Mike, click here.
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For the next 14 days (11-24 May), we’re celebrating Foster Care Fortnight, a campaign that was first established by The Fostering Network in 1997 to highlight the positive impact of foster carers on children and young people throughout the UK.
We have over 320 children in our care in Barnet, therefore it’s incredibly important we raise awareness and show our support for this essential part of our community.
If you use social media, please join in showcasing the honourable commitment of foster carers in the local area by using the hashtag #ThisIsFostering
Brigitte Jordaan, Director of Children’s Social Care, says: “During the best of times and the worst of times there are always those who give selflessly to others and make a profound difference to the lives of others. Fostering Fortnight gives us the opportunity to acknowledge, celebrate and promote the work of such a group - our foster carers.
"We have children within our community who are not able to live with their families and fostering gives them that caring secure base to start healing, to grow and to achieve.
"So, for the next fortnight, think about, talk about and read about how you can make that difference by opening your home and heart to those who need us.”
Jane, a Barnet resident, explains how fostering has changed her life: “The best thing about fostering, is knowing that you have made a difference.
"It’s about being a stopgap between things not going very well for the children in your care and helping them move towards something better.”
For more information about fostering in Barnet, please visit www.barnet.gov.uk/fostering.
You can also follow us for the latest fostering news and updates on:
- Facebook
- Instagram
- Twitter.
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Join us in celebrating Kindness Week at LBB from 18 to 24 May
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Mayor's driver deployed to new role delivering oxygen monitors
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Kindness costs nothing, but for anyone on the receiving end of it, is worth its weight in [kindness] gold.
With the challenges that coronavirus has brought us on top of our daily work and lives, our mental health is more of a priority than ever.
This why we are supporting Mental Health Awareness Week, which runs from 18 to 24 May, by having our own week of kindness to encourage colleagues to share positive stories about each other, access support and training and engage in other activities which are planned throughout the week.
Starting from Monday 18 May, we are asking colleagues to get some stories prepared about highlights about each other during this time – it could be something a team has gone that extra mile to do for you or an action that a colleague has done that has lightened the load. These will be collated and posted to Yammer using our new hashtag #thoughtforFriday. The idea is that at the end of the working week, we take a moment to share something good that has happened every Friday going forward.
We also want to encourage staff to access many of the free mental health support guides, which will be made available on Yammer and the intranet.
Some of the other activities for Kindness Week include relaxation guides, a yoga class and a live Q&A with our Mental Health First Aiders on Thursday 21 May.
There are almost 100 Mental Health First Aiders across the council and 30 of them have volunteered to directly support staff during these unprecedented times. This group of trained staff is available to listen to any challenges you might be facing, and direct you to support. They also have a rota to make sure they can support staff at any time.
Do you have any questions you would like to ask a Mental Health First Aider? It could be about any mindfulness tips they would like to share or how they can help; if so please have your questions ready for the live Q&A.
Please visit Yammer to find out more about Kindness Week.
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Over the last couple of months we’ve been profiling colleagues who have taken on different roles to their usual jobs to support the crisis response. This week we’re shining a light on Tim Kellman. Tim has a unique role as the Mayor’s Support Assistant and driver - experience which he has put to good use as he has been making sure Oxygen Saturation Monitors (OSMs) get out to residents who need them.
Tim had not long been home from annual leave in March, when he decided he wanted to put his skillset into a deployed role (Tim worked for the Royal Logistics Corps for 16 years). Tim’s role is to drive round to different residents across the borough with Oxygen Saturation Monitors (OSMs), for them to do the test and then take back the kits to the GP surgery.
Tim says: “I didn’t want to be sitting around, I wanted to do something that would be useful, especially as I have nurses living opposite me and I see the excessive hours they are working. Some days I can drive round eight or nine tests. I feel really good helping people and they show their appreciation. One guy recognised me as the Mayor’s driver – although I haven’t been using the official car to do drop offs, I’m afraid I use my own car! Some people are on their own and they want to sit and chat. I can’t do that unfortunately, though I would love to.
“I was in Royal Logistics Corps – Transport Unit, so you had to get to know to know Barnet and the traffic – the quickest route is often not the shortest! Sometimes I go to the same people two or three times to re-do the test. I don’t mind, it’s worth it to see them feeling a bit better. I find it rewarding and I’d rather be kept busy. It’s good to get to know that the surgeries can rely on us; they don’t have to worry about people getting the Oxygen Saturation Monitors on time.
“I think going forward, the general public have got to take care of their health and be more cautious about what they doing – sneezing and binning tissues, check on your elderly neighbours, washing your hands, people have got to be educated."
Speaking about what he is most looking forward to after the COVID-19 crisis is over, he said: "Seeing my army cadets as I am an army cadet instructor. I also look forward to going fishing! And seeing young people being able to go out and about.”
Read the full interview with Tim on Yammer here.
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