Coronavirus: Oxfordshire council leader at Number 10 as food and book deliveries planned

While Oxfordshire County Council’s leader this week met with the Prime Minister to discuss ways to free up blocked hospital beds, Oxfordshire businesses and volunteers are fighting isolation closer to home.

County leader Ian Hudspeth joined other Local Government Association chiefs at No. 10 Downing Street on Wednesday.

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In a tweet, Mr Hudspeth said he had taken part in a meeting, chaired by the Prime Minister, to set out ‘how local government will work with government and NHS England to help protect and support residents’.

Mr Hudspeth, who chairs the LGA’s community wellbeing board, said the meeting was a chance for council leaders to talk about how to free up space in hospitals for those in need of acute care.

Mr Hudspeth added: “The meeting was just to make sure we have everything in place ready for what might be happening in a few weeks' and months' time.”

Measures which councils might take in coming months include paying for beds in private care homes so people ‘bed blocking’ in hospitals have somewhere to stay while they recover from less serious conditions.

Mr Hudspeth said he expected councils might approach private care homes which usually charged higher rates for beds than the council was willing to pay.

The councils could be reimbursed by government for paying these higher fees, or care homes might be asked to reduce their rates.

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The council leaders also talked about ways to help businesses through economic hardship in coming months.

He added: “All councils and all council staff are working as hard as possible to ensure services continue.”

Abingdon’s independent bookshop Mostly Books, meanwhile, is offering to deliver for free to residents within a five-mile radius who are self-isolating and in need of something new to read.

Mostly Books in Abingdon.

Owner Sarah Dennis said: “We don’t want social distancing to become social exclusion for some of our vulnerable customers, and are doing everything we can to safely deliver books to their door.”

Staff have been walking, cycling and driving to the towns and villages surrounding Abingdon, to safely drop books to people unable to leave their homes.

In just two days, one member of the team has cycled more than 15km to and from the shop and customers’ homes. The bookshop is also offering to post books for customers further afield and is accepting orders by telephone, email and social media.

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Ms Dennis added: “Within 24 hours of the government announcement on Monday, we have moved our entire stock selection online for customers to browse and buy, and we will continue to deliver as long as it is safe to do so.

“Our customers have been incredibly supportive and understanding as we adapt to this ever-evolving situation, we are so grateful and pleased to be able to help them.”

In other news, an Oxfordshire service which makes recordings of people reading out local newspapers for the blind and partially-sighted has appealed for volunteers.

The Didcot, Abingdon and Wantage Talking Newspaper (DAWN) has suspended its weekly recordings of local newspapers due to the virus.

The recordings are normally posted to those in need, but the team are now working to arrange a way of safely recording together online.

In the meantime it has urged people to check on those they know who are blind or partially sighted and share some local news with them.

A statement from the group said: “We’re all rightfully thinking about those who are in isolation to protect their health at the moment, but please spare a moment to think of those whose isolation from the community around them is much less of a choice.”

To find out more about the DAWN Talking Newspaper visit dawntn.org.uk or follow them on twitter at @dawn_tn.

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To find out more about the DAWN Talking Newspaper visit dawntn.org.uk or follow them on twitter at @dawn_tn.

Many Oxfordshire businesses are also ramping up efforts to help the elderly and vulnerable community.

While major supermarket chains are scrambling to provide sufficient supply of scarce items like pasta, tinned foods and toilet paper, one farm shop announced it will provide local home food delivery service and collection.

Millets Farm, which sells seasonal fruit, vegetables and herbs from Oxfordshire companies, revealed it will roll out the new scheme soon but asked potential customers to get in touch with their shopping list on enquiries@milletsfarmcentre.com

The company said it will initially deliver to Kingston Bagpuize, Garford, Southmoor, Longworth, Appleton, the Hanneys, Marcham, Frilford, Charney Bassett, Hinton Waldrist, Buckland and Fyfield.