About Michael Hill

Wreningham Parish Council Chair

What is Healthwatch Norfolk?

There is a statutory requirement for Healthwatch organisations to exist in each top tier local authority area in England. Healthwatch Norfolk is a registered charity and a statutory member of Norfolk’s Health and Wellbeing Board and has a role to represent the voice of patients, service users, carers and the public at the highest strategic level.

Your experience of accessing information, care and support during COVID-19

Healthwatch Norfolk are encouraging you to share your experience of using health and social care services since the outbreak of COVID-19. They will use this to pass constructive and supportive information to service leaders.

The spread of the virus has led to unprecedented changes to the way patients and service users receive care: pharmacies are struggling to keep up with demand for medication; many GP appointments have been postponed or conducted remotely; and strict protocols have been implemented in hospitals and care homes to prevent infection.

The survey is an opportunity for you to say anything relating to care and support since the outbreak of the virus. Healthwatch Norfolk are particularly interested in hearing about:

  • Quality of local information and advice about coronavirus
  • Your experience of urgent and emergency care
  • Experience of health and social care routine appointments
  • Communication from NHS Trusts, councils and charities
  • Managing your mental and physical health at home
  • Advice for individuals and families in self-isolation
  • Caring for someone in isolation
  • Access to dentistry in Norfolk
  • Positive experiences and messages of support for health and social care staff

As emergency plans to support Norfolk’s population are rolled out across the county, Healthwatch argue that listening to the public is pivotal to ensuring that the health and well-being needs of people are met.

Survey

Survey: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/hwncovid19-survey/

HWN page: https://healthwatchnorfolk.co.uk/hwn-covid-19-survey/


National Archive free downloads

While the National Archive Kew site is closed, signed-in users can download digital records for free: Read about our fair use policy and why we are doing this.

What sort of documents can I download?

You will be able to download records digitised by The National Archives and published through Discovery, their online catalogue. These include:

  • First and Second World War records, including medal index cards
  • Military records, including unit war diaries
  • Royal and Merchant Navy records, including Royal Marine service records
  • Wills from the jurisdiction of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury
  • Migration records, including aliens’ registration cards and naturalisation case papers
  • 20th century Cabinet Papers and Security Service files
  • Domesday Book

Norfolk ALC Well-being Task & Finish Group has asked us to bring this to your attention.

Looking for work or needing staff? New Anglia LEP has over 60 vacancies advertised by its partner organisations see https://newanglia.co.uk/employment-opportunities/

This Employment Opportunity page is part of New Anglia LEP’s work to help businesses through the COVID-19 crisis. Other areas include:

·         helping to source PPE (see box below),

·         promoting grants available to businesses

·         supporting key sectors.

Anyone needing impartial business support – including guidance on the new Government schemes – can contact the New Anglia Growth Hub to speak to a business adviser on 0300 333 6536 or email It’s free. growthhub@newanglia.co.uk

Personal Protective Equipment

Anyone wanting to source PPE can access the New Anglia LEP database. Email supply.chain@newanglia.co.uk to request a log-in for the system.

If you make or sell PPE, you can register your stock/interest at https://newanglia.co.uk/data-capture-for-ppe-supply during covid/



District Councillor, Nigel Legg, reports on 11 April 2020:

There have been no recent formal Council meetings at South Norfolk. The Council is currently being run by an Emergency Committee.

There have been proposals as to how certain Statutory functions of the Council might operate during the present crisis. It is proposed that the DMC [aka Planning Committee] will reduce to five members. Meetings will take place via Skype or similar. They will be time limited. For this reason there may be fortnightly meetings. Outside speakers such as PCs will be advised a week in advance of the meetings and will be given a specific time to speak.

The number of planning applications is broadly unchanged. The Council is anxious to promote the application process so as to encourage building work to resume.

The “call for sites” for the village clusters is complete. There have been some 350 expressions of interest. These have been scored. The next stages will be allocation and then consultation.

Calls to the Help Hub were being diverted via Norfolk County Council. This has changed so that calls are now answered by SNC staff. The number is 01508 533933.




We have been asked to provide links to religious sites for those church members who are self-isolating through choice or necessity.

The Church of England

Benefice contact: Revd Lydia Avery, Priest in Charge, The Church of England Upper Tas Valley Benefice, Diocese of Norwich – 01953 788227

The Archbishop of Canterbury has called for a day of National Prayer.  He asks that we put a lit candle in a window to show solidarity with those who are isolated, worried, working long hours to keep people safe, ill or bereaved.  If you can do this safely, please do.
On the Church of England Website, you might like to be part of an online Mothering Sunday Service being streamed in the morning. There is also an order of service to download so that you can follow it.
There are also other resources you’ll be able to access very easily on the site. Revd Lydia will be putting other prayer resources in Benefice churches over the coming week for you to have at home.
Please be assured of her thoughts and prayers tomorrow when she will be at St Mary’s (10.30) and All Saints Wreningham (2.30) and in the days and weeks ahead.

Roman Catholic

Canon David Paul, Provost, RC Cathedral of St John the Baptist, Norwich.

Until normal service is resumed and the public can once again attend Church for Mass, Canon Paul has arranged for a 10am streaming of Mass from the Cathedral. This is accessible here.


UK Power Networks is responsible for distributing power to the East of England. Their engineers will continue their core role of maintaining the electricity network, and fixing any electrical faults that occur.

With many customers now working from home and to support the wider UK economy at this time, from Friday 20th March, they will be cancelling most lower priority planned maintenance work to avoid planned power cuts for those working from home.

If you need information on a power cut, visit the Power Cut Map for live updates, tweet @UKPowerNetworks or telephone the customer service team, at any time, on 105 or 0800 3163 105. Calls are free from a landline or mobile phone.

Practical steps being taken:

To ensure resilience they have split key teams across different locations, and hundreds of call agents are equipped to answer customer queries while working from home.

All essential work will continue as normal, including fixing the rare power cuts.

Postponing lower priority work on electricity cables and substations to minimise disruption

Working with other network operators and trade associations to ensure best practice and to focus on activities that safeguard power supplies.

Engaging with suppliers to ensure access to equipment and supplies needed

What this means for you:

If their engineers need to enter your home to restore your power, they’ll ask whether you are self-isolating and make appropriate arrangements.

The engineers will wear protective equipment, stay in a different room from people who are infected or self-isolating, and avoid touching surfaces.

Be on their Priority Services Register to ensure you receive extra support if you experience a power cut.

There are over 20 ways to get in touch, including the website, Twitter @ukpowernetworks, or ring 105.

Support for those most in need during a power cut:

Free additional tailored support and guidance to customers on the Priority Services Register if they experience a power cut, are reliant on electronic medical equipment or have young children.

To register for the Priority Services Register call 0800 169 9970 or visit the website at www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/priority.


We have received a notice from the Humbleyard group practice (Mulbarton, Cringleford, Hethersett) regarding a plan due to be implemented on Monday.

Many local practices have stopped on-line appointment booking and this week will probably stop any pre-booking of appointments with Doctors.

Humbleyard patients should know that this will mean anyone who has a pre-booked appointment will be contacted initially by phone to see if the issue can be dealt with without the patient going to the surgery. Patients who have given the practice permission to text them should already have received a text about this.

Any patients who feel they need to be seen each day will have a telephone triage call and then given an appointment to be seen face to face if it is felt to be needed, although it is hoped that the majority of queries will be dealt with over the telephone.

For the Humbleyard Practice anyone with respiratory symptoms will be seen at Cringleford Surgery only.

If patients have not given their practice a current mobile number and are happy for practices to contact them via text, now would be a good time to update their details with their practice! 

Please remember the NHS advice about using the on-line website or calling 111 and not the practice.