What is the Pandemic Plan

This plan addresses specific events int the Community Risk Register listed below

How do we address Pandemic Events

This is addressed through the following:

• Maintain a 'Flu Buddy' list of volunteers across the parish
• Monitor Press, Government and Dorset Council comms for any potential Pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.
  
• Align Volunteers to specific areas of the Parish
• Establish regular calls with volunteers to ensure everyone is effective and any issues are identified and addressed
• Liaise with the Surgery to ensure effective support
• Liease with the shops in the village to ensure residents can buy food if isolating
• Maintain awareness of the national trend and any government guidelines to ensure support is aligned to any legal and safety obligations
• Communicate with Parishioners by word of mouth, newletter, The Downsman, Facebook and NextDoor
• Establish points of contact for parishioners within the Flu Buddies
• Establish a Phone Buddy network for people who are isolating and need to talk.
• Liaise with Dorset Council to maintain an effective and co-ordinated support network.
  

What have we done in the past

We have fortunately not had the need to activate this plan except during the COVID 19 pandemic.

COVID 19

The Parish Council Emergency Officer identified the potential for a country wide lockdown and initiated this Plan.

Posters asking for volunteers were posted around the parish, this resulted in an large team of volunteers covering the whole parish, phone buddies and reserves.

The volunteers were assigned to areas of the parish, each team having a lead and a deputy.

A method for people to order food from both Clarks the Butchers and the Village Store was established.

The surgery identified how flue buddies could collect prescriptions for those having to isolate by the volunteers.

Newsletters were delivered to every house in the parish with the contact details for the teams and how to obtain food or prescriptions through these teams.

Both the Parish Council and Sixpenny Handley and Pentridge Community Fund (CCIO) established a fund to support those in need.

Once established the Parish plan was communicated to Dorset Council in order to establish a wider network of support. This resulted in the team being registered on teh Help and Kindness network.

Communications and updates were provided through regular lead calls with the emergency planning officer, newsletters delviered across the parish, articlers in The Downsman all supported by updates on Facebook and NextDoor. A regular brief was also provided to the Parish Council at the Full Parish Council meeting each month.

The overall activities were aligned to the Government guideance and directives to ensure everyone stayed safe and aligned to the COVID 19 rules.

Over this period there were over 90 registered volunteers who between them provided over 850 shopping deliveries, 300 prescriptions and held over 1200 phone calls.

USEFUL LINKS

Dorset Council - Here

Communities Prepared - Here