Documents

COVID-19 Information

Dear all,

Welcome to the latest edition of Doctors of the World’s (DOTW) COVID-19 vaccine briefings and updates.

First of all, I would like to briefly introduce myself. My name is Matteo Besana, I recently joined DOTW as COVID-19 Advocacy Project Lead and going forward I’ll be the point of contact for DOTW’s work on COVID-19 resources and events.

We are very happy to let you know that our COVID-19 vaccine guidance has been translated into 19 languages and is now available on our website for you to download and distribute amongst your networks.

This new and comprehensive guidance has been produced in partnership with the British Red Cross, and with support from Migration Exchange.

We plan to make it available in English and 30 other languages, and will be in touch again soon to let you know when the remaining 11 languages are ready and how you can support the COVID-19 vaccine project.

In the meantime, you can help us spread the word about the launch of the COVID-19 vaccine guidance by sharing on Facebook and Twitter.

Briefing on outreach COVID-19 vaccination model

Following the Health Secretary’s latest announcement to prioritise those experiencing rough sleeping or homelessness for vaccination alongside priority group 6, we have produced a briefing on tailored outreach COVID-19 vaccination delivery services.

The briefing aims to support local authorities and healthcare commissioners and providers to design vaccine services for socially excluded patient groups. It offers a series of recommendations, including:

  • Engage with housing providers, voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations and people with lived experience of healthcare exclusion when planning and promoting outreach services.
  • Ensure you have a process for booking in, delivering and recording the vaccination of people without an NHS number.
  • Take GMS1 (family doctor services registration) forms on outreach and support unregistered patients to complete these at the time of vaccination.
  • Provide COVID-19 vaccine information and consent forms in appropriate formats, languages, and literacy levels.
  • Revisit the same outreach site at least 10-12 weeks later to deliver the second COVID-19 vaccine dose to those who have received the first dose and to offer the first dose to any unvaccinated individuals.
  • Consider opportunistically offering the second vaccine dose to hard-to-reach patients and individuals likely to move, such as asylum seekers, in the 4-12 weeks after the first vaccine dose.

And finally, don’t forget about our other resources on COVID-19:

Thank you for helping us spread the word about our new translated guidance, to ensure language is no barrier to accessing COVID-19 vaccines.

Matteo Besana
COVID-19 Advocacy Project Lead

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Please see below for the new translated COVID-19 materials. Thank you to Terry Blair-Stevens from PHE for sharing.

New translated materials in a variety of languages are available for the following:

Doctors of the World

Further to recent changes in the Government and NHS official guidance on COVID-19, Doctors of the World UK have been updating its translated guidance in 60 languages. The updated version includes changes in social distancing rules and the new symptom of coronavirus (see attached for contents). Please note the guidance is valid across the UK.

You can find these resources on https://www.doctorsoftheworld.org.uk/coronavirus-information/ Please check the list of languages on the website to see if the language has been updated, but all languages will be ready in a couple of days. Audio/video recordings and animated messages for migrants in different languages will be ready soon.

Please see below some other useful translated advice and guidance:

  • Public Health England has translated the message that COVID-19 testing and treatment is free of charge, irrespective of immigration status in 40 languages (including English). Please visit the PHE Migrant Health Guide under sub-heading ‘Translated advice and guidance for the public’ to access the full set of languages. These translations are based on the simplified message in English available on the NHS website.
  • In order to prevent people losing contact with loved ones during COVID 19, British Red Cross have produced some tips for staying connected and an Emergency Contact Card where people can write the name of the person they would wish to be contacted should they become seriously ill. This may be next of kin, a family member or friend. The Emergency Contact Card is to be completed in English so that emergency services can easily contact the person’s designated person. The accompanying language guides explain this and tips for people not confident in speaking/writing English.

The prevention messages and Emergency Contact Cards can be downloaded at redcross.org.uk/trace, or people can make their own with paper and pen at home.  Currently, there are 11 languages available, with a further 11 in progress.

Thank you for sharing these resources and reaching out the communities at this uncertain time.

Kind regards

Doctors of the World UK

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PHE Communication COVID -19

Includes:  Registration of patients, including those with no fixed address, asylum seekers and refugees

Practices should continue to register new patients, including those with no fixed address, asylum seekers and refugees. Practices should agree how they can most effectively connect and support locations that are accommodating people who are homeless. More detailed guidance on registering patients is being developed. We would like to remind GP practices that the absence of photo identification or a fixed address is not a reason to refuse a patient registration.  Homeless patients should be registered either at a c/o address where one is available (eg a shelter/ support service) or the GP practice address. We can assure practices using the GP practice address as a c/o does not place responsibility on the practice to repatriate correspondence (eg hospital letters). Homeless patients should be encouraged to keep in contact with the practice at regular intervals where they have ongoing health and care (primary and secondary) requirements.

All COVID homeless health enquiries please email england.covid-homeless@nhs.net

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This document contains various translated COVID-19 Resources from PHE, NHSE, Citizens Advice Bureau, Migrant Help and many other organisations

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Please find below a link to the Covid-19 page of the South East Strategic Partnership for Migration website which has been recently updated to take into account new guidance and resources:

https://www.secouncils.gov.uk/about-us/about-sespm/sespm-research/

Please find attached the Strategic Migration Partnership Asylum Factsheet

Please find attached information from the Chartered Institute of Housing relating to housing and benefits for migrants.

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The attached document contains information from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, (in Arabic followed by English), it lists various COVID-19 prevention tips for displaced Syrian communities including information on how best to observe religious practices.

PH
Public Health
Paediatrics
Paediatrics

Planning
PC
Primary Care
MH
Mental health

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