Dear John,

Below is my latest update on the response to the Coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic locally. 

Ramadan Mubarak to all of my Muslim friends and constituents in Harrow. I know this holy month will be different for so many, with prayers taken at home and not at the mosque. I’m sure the joy of attending the Iftar with close family and friends will be missed but I know that everyone is doing their best to respect social distancing and keep everyone safe at this time. The immense generosity and charitable efforts of religious communities and many secular groups continue stronger than ever, ensuring those impacted by the coronavirus are being supported across Harrow.

My thoughts continue to be with the loved ones of those who have sadly died, and with those who have contracted the virus. I can only begin to imagine the sense of fear and loss the families must be feeling.  As a community, we are immensely grateful to all of our NHS staff, social care workers and all of our key workers, who are working tirelessly to help us deal with this crisis. I hope readers continue to stay safe, stay indoors and regularly check in on loved ones. A minute’s silence will be held across the UK on Tuesday (28th April) at 11AM to honour all healthcare and key workers who have died from coronavirus. Read more

I continue to update my website – covering where to find support, keep safe and assist local people in Harrow. If you have anything you would like to me to feature in this update please send me an e-mail with the subject “Covid-19 newsletter” and be sure to share this message with friends, family, neighbours and local businesses in order to strengthen our collective response to COVID-19. The response to Coronavirus is being directed by Government centrally working with Public Health England, the Government’s advice is available here . Government assistance specifically for businesses is available here . 

As always, if you ever need to get in touch about the issues covered here – or anything else – please contact my office on 0207 219 4243 or e-mail me at [email protected]. Please bear with us, as we have received over 5 times our usual weekly amount of correspondence. My team and I are working hard to respond as promptly as possible. Although we have had to cancel face to face surgery appointments, we are now scheduling regular Zoom surgeries and phone calls with Harrow West constituents. 

West Harrow’s most colourful noticeboard found on Twyford Rd, sent to me from @Martin_Thomas on Twitter

Parliament

As I mentioned last week, decades are taking places in weeks and this week, Parliament returned from Easter recess into the Twenty First Century. This week, my parliamentary colleagues and I were able to quiz ministers via Zoom for the first time in the House of Commons 700-year history.

Airport and port checks

Following my correspondence with the Sec of State for Transport, I have been calling for urgent temperature testing to be implemented at UK ports and Airports. 

During this lockdown period, on average over 15,000 people per day are travelling into the UK. We now know that places where the pandemic has successfully been contained, such as Hong Kong, have required everyone passing through their ports and airports to be tested and if necessary, to then isolate themselves. Such a move here would also help to protect staff and other passengers and crucially help to maintain confidence in Britain’s key trading routes.

As testing has rapidly becoming the norm at Airports and Ports across and the globe, the UK’s current position is likely to be increasingly questioned in the face of more robust testing regimes across the world.  Read my comments in The Mirror.

Trade Questions

As I have been raising over the past month, the lack of Personal Protective Equipment and other supplies essential to fight Covid-19 has left the Government with serious questions to answer regarding their handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

In my role as Shadow Minister for International Trade I have tabled a selection of urgent questions to the Department of International Trade to study why procurement of these essential resources from overseas has been a reoccurring problem. 

I hope the answers to these questions will help us understand what lessons can be learned to ensure our frontline staff have the equipment they need to keep themselves and their families safe as they work in our NHS and care homes across the UK.

Harrow Council

The council has a webpage covering their own response, this is regularly being updated and is available here .

The economic implications of Covid-19 for our community are too early to tell and there is some way to go before the lockdown and social distancing measures are eased. However, I have been having very preliminary conversations with the leader and Chief executive of our council to discuss what economic levers can be used alongside central government support to help kick start our economy so that our town centre and other local shopping areas can return with confidence.

Councils across London are estimating a cost between £40-60 million so far in dealing with the pandemic but while some money has arrived from Central Government, councils are still waiting on vital funds. If the Council are not properly reimbursed this could impact Council Tax levels for many of the most vulnerable, or have a drastic impact on public services. I will be campaigning alongside my colleagues to make sure our councils are in receipt of these vital funds. 

As of Friday, the council have processed 580 applications and paid out £10,785,000 of Hardship and Business Support Grants. The council are working around the clock, 7 days a week, continuing to communicate to business owners and are planning a (possible virtual) surgery for business owners. Sadly not all businesses are eligible for assistance from the Government scheme and I am supporting the “raise the bar” campaign for local businesses like Harrow’s much loved independent music venue and bar, Trinity to secure access to the grant. I have joined a number of colleagues in calling on the Government to raise "the bar", to expand the rateable value threshold for all retail, hospitality and leisure businesses from £51,000 to any business with a rateable value up to and including £150,000. This will allow businesses like Trinity to gain access to the £25,000 grant imperative for its survival. For more details on Trinity Bar’s funding and ways to support – please check out their Go Fund Me and you can   Read more about the “Raise the Bar” campaign here.

The Headstone Manor’s planned V-E Day events, including the exhibition, have been postponed. The exhibition has been re-scheduled to open on Tuesday, 21 July 2020. Harrow Arts Centre has launched two initiatives, #HACFromHome where the council showcases its own online content and #HACSupports highlighting activity from Harrow artists and performance companies.

Coronavirus Hotline

The council have set up a hotline telephone number to support those in need of assistance in Harrow, if you are in need of support due to Covid please give the hotline a call - 0208 901 2698

The brightest rainbow on top of Harrow on the Hill outside St Anselm's Primary School

NHS

A lot of people will feel they shouldn’t burden the NHS with serious matters that are not related to Covid-19, but the NHS message is that you should seek help when you need it, call your GP or 111 for advice, in a life threatening emergency call 999. Primary care is still ongoing for serious cancer, stroke and chest pain referrals, while less urgent cases are being put on hold.

NHS dentists are still operating but only emergency procedures are taking place at this time. All NHS practices are expected to be providing urgent telephone advice and triage. Anyone with a regular dentist should, as a first step, call their practice. Patients should not visit the practice. The dentist will assess the patient’s condition, give advice, and if needed, issue prescriptions for painkillers or antibiotics which can then be collected from, or delivered by a local pharmacy. Anyone without a regular dentist may refer to https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist to obtain details of a local practice. 

COVID 19 Hot Hub Development

With the number of cases of Coronavirus escalating during early and mid-March 2020, NHS England requested that CCGs develop a COVID-19 Clinic Hot Hubs where potentially infected patients could be assessed, with clinical interventions undertaken. The primary patient cohort for the hub would be any patients suspected as having Coronavirus, and those patients confirmed as having the COVID-19 infection but who did not require hospitalisation.

NHS Harrow CCG reviewed potential sites for this service, looking at the Pinn Medical Centre, Belmont Health Centre, and the Alexandra Avenue Health & Care Centre. Following detailed discussions it was agreed that the Alexandra Avenue site was best able to deliver the service model specified by NHS England. The CCG entered into discussions with the Alexandra Avenue GP Access Centre (GPAC)  Hub provider and they agreed to repurpose the GPAC to create the COVID-19 Hub. 

The COVID-19 Hub opened on Tuesday 21st March receiving patients. Patients can only be seen at the Hub if they have first been assessed by their registered GP, or undergone assessment by the NHS 111 service. There is no Walk-In element to the COVID 19 hub, for obvious infection control reasons. 

The table and graph below give details of the referral source, activity and outcomes for the COVID 19 Hub since opening.

VCS Feeding Harrow

This week, Stanmore Temple and mosque have joined the collaborative ‘Feeding Harrow’ operation – between Harrow Council, the Voluntary Community Sector (VCS), Harrow Community Transport (HCT), The Bridge, My Yard, The Breaking Bread Trust, Harrow School and others.

Over 5000 food deliveries have now taken place across Harrow and VCS have setup an online system combining food requests with available stocks at hubs and delivery allocation -  www.helpharrow.org will take direct food requests from residents. All of the Harrow Council and central government shielded list has already been referred for delivery. 

If you can donate any food - Kind Café @ The Bridge, Wealdstone, Harrow HA3 5AB Monday to Friday 10:30AM-4PM, and they can arrange larger quantities for collection. 

Finding Support

Do you have a medical condition that makes you vulnerable? Please register.

A reminder, if you think you fall into a category that makes you vulnerable to coronavirus – register with the Government here. For example, you’ll be able to ask for help getting deliveries of essential supplies like food. The council has just started to receive this information and is working with local organisations to provide support to those who apply.

If you’re not sure whether your medical condition makes you extremely vulnerable, register anyway. This service is free. You can register yourself, or on behalf of someone else.

Harrow Talking Therapies - The coronavirus crisis is unlike anything many of us will have encountered before and will, at some point, take its toll on our own mental well-being and the well-being of those closest to us. For anyone who is struggling with their mental health at this current time - Harrow Talking Therapies is a FREE NHS service offering support to those who are finding the current situation difficult. They offer 1:1 support via telephone or Video call. They offer bereavement support, anxiety and worry management support, low mood support and also help if you are self-isolating, or feel isolated being on your own at this time amongst other support you might be needing at this time. 

Please get in touch by calling 0208 515 5015 (lines are open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm) or emailing  [email protected]. You will be assessed very quickly and booked in for treatment quickly too.

Coronavirus Scams - The Government are advising the public to be extra vigilant and be wary of scams related to Covid-19, please read the Government's guidance here - https://www.gov.uk/government/news/be-vigilant-against-coronavirus-scams

A COVID-19 Community Support group has been set-up, coordinating action within WhatsApp groups for every ward in Harrow in order to provide support to local residents – you are welcome to  join the Facebook group here and if you are not a Facebook member but would like to join your ward’s WhatsApp group – e-mail [email protected] with your postcode and the coordinators will add you to the correct group.

St Mary’s Church - If you are in need of support or company – a visit (where possible), a telephone call, help with shopping etc. St. Mary’s would like you to get in contact. You can do this in a variety of ways via the Church Office. The Office is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays 9am – 2pm but the messages will be checked daily.

Email: [email protected], Tel: 020 8423 4014 (answerphone: leave your contact details)

Harrow Central Mosque – Harrow Mosque is providing a free food and essentials transport service to elderly and vulnerable people in Harrow who require assistance with medical collection or other essentials – Call or SMS: 07874869484 E-mail: [email protected]

Can you provide support?

Voluntary Action Harrow, Young Harrow foundation and Harrow Community Action continue to work with Harrow Council to help coordinate a Harrow wide response to the Coronavirus outbreak and a database is being compiled of people who are willing to volunteer. Voluntary Action Harrow are using this database to inform people of organisations looking for volunteers. Please sign up here:  https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/CoronavirusHarrow

Spare room?

My office have been able to match key workers with free rooms for those with family or housemates self-isolating. If you are able to temporarily offer a spare room to a key worker currently unable to be at home due to a family member or a housemate self-isolating, please get in touch with my office by e-mailing [email protected] with subject “spare room”.

Help from me 

I appreciate that whilst this outbreak of Covid-19 is currently dominating a lot of our thoughts, other concerns and problems do not disappear. However, to help reduce the spread of infection, I am asking members of the public who need to contact my office to do so by phone or email rather than in person and further, I will continue to hold surgery appointments exclusively by telephone and Zoom video conferencing. This is a temporary measure and a sensible precaution to protect vulnerable people. Please be assured we continue to offer a full service of advice and support to members of the public who need it.

As always, my office can be contacted on [email protected] or by telephone on 0207 219 4243 (Monday-Friday).

Stay at home and save lives.

Best wishes,

Gareth