Citizens Advice
Local Citizens Advice offices across North Yorkshire have launched a new helpline to increase their capacity for the additional demand that the Covid 19 pandemic has generated. You can call the helpline if you need support with:
- benefit entitlement, claims and appeals
- accessing other income such as charitable and statutory grants
- managing your money and making it go further
- help with debts
- finding out what other support services are available
The Money and Benefits service is provided by CA Craven & Harrogate Districts, CA Mid-North Yorkshire and CA Scarborough & District and is for anyone living in North Yorkshire. The service sits alongside all the normal advice services Citizens Advice offer across all North Yorkshire districts.
The number to call is 0300 3031 598 Monday to Friday 9.00 to 4.00 (or you can leave a voicemail outside these times).
Email advice can be requested via the contact form on our website cany.org.uk
A leaflet on CA services is available here: CA Mid-North Yorkshire COVID-19 service update
Need help with shopping, collecting prescriptions etc during Covid19?
Our band of local volunteers are still ready and waiting to help anyone who needs it, whether this is to collect a prescription, do some shopping, provide a lift to an appointment or whatever other task you may not be able to do by yourself due to the current restrictions or another health problem. A big thankyou to them all.
If you need help, or know someone who does, please contact any of the following: Councillor Honor Byford, 01969 625304 or 07849 918215. shbyford@yahoo.co.uk; Councillor Nigel Hopper, 07594 814524, hoppern@gmail.com or the joint rectors of St Marys & St Alkelda’s Church, Reverends Liz Moody and Jeff Payne 01969 326069 or Liz, 07796 988302 Jeff, 07443 581463
Racing Welfare is dedicated to helping current and former workers within racing. Gail Burton-Pye, 07788 184140, gburtonpye@racingwelfare.co.uk
Hospital Transport – new arrangements for transport to Medical Facilities and Hospitals
People in the area, with appointments at the various hospitals in our district, have been provided with transport to their appointments by the NYCC Transport Fleet arranged by the Leyburn Hub at no cost.
Because the children are now back at school the NYCC Transport Fleet main function is to provide school transport, they are no longer able to guarantee to transport people to hospital too.
As a result, new arrangements have had to be introduced from Monday 26th of October 2020.
The new arrangements.
- Parish Support Groups should continue to provide transport for people who wish, or are asked to, attend local medical and dental practices.
- When a person has an appointment with one of the hospitals in our district, usually Darlington, Northallerton, Middlesbrough, or Harrogate, and asks for assistance, then the local support group or Leyburn Hub will:
- Firstly, establish that the person requesting transport is unable to transport themselves and do not have family or friends that are able to provide transport.
- Next, ask the person to contact the Patients Transport Service (PTS) which is provided by Yorkshire Ambulance Service tel 0300 3302000 between the hours of 08.00 to 18.00.
This information should be provided on the appointment letter (but it isn’t always).
The criteria for the PTS to provide transport is “to and from hospital outpatients clinics” “to and from community-based care” “admission to or discharge from hospital” “regular life-saving treatments such as renal dialysis or chemotherapy”
They are not accepting anything but the most critically ill people within these criteria or if other forms of transport are impossible because of wheelchairs or oxygen requirements.
The PTS is reluctant to talk to anyone other than the patient who must have the appointment details available when they contact the PTS. The PTS is free of charge.
- If the above cannot be arranged and if the Middleham Support Group is able to provide transport using a volunteer, they will but this is not always possible.
- Assuming that none of the above is possible, the Parish Support Group Coordinator, or the person themselves, should contact the Leyburn Hub on 01969 624510 or admin@leyburnartscentre.com .
The Hub has arranged to provide transport via a NYCC Transport Service run by volunteers but this service is not free of charge. For journeys of up to 44 miles the charge is 0.45p per mile. For journeys of more than 44 miles the charge is capped at £20.00. The driver will give the person they are transporting a bill and expect them to pay, on completion of the journey, by cash or cheque.
Hospital Transport For Middleham:
If you need transport to a hospital appointment, please do use the system shown above or contact one of the Middleham Coordinators and we will try to help. Transport to Leyburn is usually readily available. So far, we have also covered any hospital appointments the PTS cannot provide.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) and domestic abuse
Coronavirus isolation can cause additional anxiety for those at risk of domestic abuse. Anyone can be a victim, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, socio-economic status, sexuality or background. It can be between partners or parents to children, and by children to parents. Older people are also at risk.
What is it? Domestic abuse is not only physical violence but can include coercive control, economic abuse, online abuse, threats and intimidation, emotional and sexual abuse.
If you believe that you, or someone else, could be a victim, look out for signs: do they, or you, seem withdrawn, or isolated from family and friends? Showing bruises, burns or bite marks? Are their finances controlled or not given enough to buy food or pay bills? Maybe not allowed to leave the house, go to college or work, or having internet or social media use monitored, their texts, emails or letters read? Other signs include being repeatedly belittled, put down or told they are worthless, being pressured into sex and told that abuse is your fault, or that you’re overreacting.
What to do: The first thing to do is remember that domestic abuse is not right and there is help. This help is open to victims and there is help too for abusers.
If you need to leave your home to escape domestic abuse, you may ignore any household isolation instructions as a result of coronavirus.
Report it. If you are in immediate danger, or you believe there is an immediate risk of harm to someone, call 999 and ask for the police. If you are unable to talk on the phone, call 999 and listen to the questions from the operator and, if you can, respond by coughing or tapping on the handset.
Help. National Domestic Abuse Helpline (open 24/7) Phone/TypeTalk 0808 2000 247 https://www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk/
Women’s Aid https://www.womensaid.org.uk/information-support/ live chat at https://chat.womensaid.org.uk/
Men’s Advice Line 0808 801 327 https://mensadviceline.org.uk/
Hourglass (for concerns about older people) 0808 808 8481 https://wearehourglass.org/
NSPCC helpline – advice and support for anyone with concerns about a child 0808 8005000 https://www.nspcc.org.uk/
Childline – help and support for children and young people 0800 1111 https://www.childline.org.uk/
Respect. Anonymous and confidential helpline for men and women who are harming their partners and families, and anyone concerned about perpetrators. https://respectphoneline.org.uk/ 0808 802 4040
This guide is based upon the gov.uk website at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/domestic-abuse-how-to-get-help#get-help-if-you-or-someone-you-know-is-a-victim where further links and guidance may be found.