Business
owners should plan for recovery now
MERSEYSIDE business
owners should start planning their recovery as soon as possible,
according to a legal expert from regional law firm Napthens.
Jamie Allison, partner and head of Napthens' Kendal office, says
companies which plan for restarting their business after
lockdown restrictions are lifted are most likely to return to
growth quicker. He has indicated a range of questions which
directors should ask themselves to help them return to
pre-pandemic levels.
Jamie said:- "Assessing your financial projections and
cash flow forecasts will give business owners the quickest
health check about whether they can bounce back quickly or
should expect slower growth and it will help their bankers to
support them. Directors should be speaking to their accountants
now for information and advice on managing finances and checking
they have accessed the necessary public and private funding. The
way staff work has changed, and all business owners should
re-assess what working together looks like in the 'new normal'
be that more agility in remote working, more efficient use of
office space and making sure that your workforce has the right
hardware and software to work more seamlessly. While some owners
may be tempted to chase suppliers and customers for payments,
they should be extremely wary that this could result in losing
long term loyalty. Similarly, after a period staying indoors,
customers are now more likely to buy online, and offering good
quality e-commerce and online sales platform could give you a
step ahead of competitors."
Napthens has been offering advice to navigate the Coronavirus
pandemic with a specially assembled team, offering advice on
employment, health and safety, business support and Wills and
Estate planning. For more information on the support available,
visit the Napthens'
website.
Support
service for those bereaved by suicide available now in Liverpool
A new service is now
available in Liverpool for people who have been affected by
suicide. Amparo is offering a suicide liaison service, thanks to
funding received from NHS England to scale up suicide
bereavement support. In Liverpool there are approximately 41
deaths by suicide each year. Estimates vary on how many people
are affected by each suicide, ranging from ten deeply affected
to 135 people exposed to a suicide death. This equates to
between 410 to 5,535 people affected each year in Liverpool.
Amparo aims to reduce the risk for those affected by suicide by
offering timely advice and support with the practicalities
surrounding a sudden bereavement. The service offers one to one
support from an Amparo liaison worker, who will help with
practical support dealing with the Police and other agencies,
support at inquest, help with media enquiries, support
overcoming feelings of isolation and signposting to other
services where necessary. Since the commencement of the
Amparo service in other areas of England no beneficiaries have
gone on to take their own life according to a Coroner Office
audit, which is a known risk for people who have been affected
by suicide.
Cllr Paul Brant, Liverpool City Council's cabinet member for
social care and health, said:- "I am really pleased we are
now able to offer the Amparo suicide bereavement service to the
people of Liverpool. This will ensure that those who have
suffered from the shock and sadness of the sudden loss of a
loved one are able to get the help that they need in the weeks
and months that follow."
Richard Brown, CEO of Amparo said:- "People bereaved by
suicide are at greater risk of attempting to or taking their own
lives by up to 300%. This is why the service that we offer
through Amparo is so vital for the people of Liverpool. The loss
of someone by suicide is tragic and life changing and we offer
the necessary emotional and practical support to help anyone
going through this following the death."
Amparo is free of charge and does not have a waiting list. To
refer a person who has been affected by suicide, please contact
Amparo directly via the following channels:-
► Phone:- 0300 088 9255.
►
Email:-
Amparo.Service@Listening-Ear.Co.UK.
If you are struggling right now and require immediate help there
are a number of services you can contact.
Local
Mersey Care mental health crisis line
Open 24 hrs a day - Call 0151 296 7200 Adults 16 +
Alder Hey mental health crisis line... Open 24 hrs a day -
Children and Young People, call:- 0151 293 3577.
James' Place Liverpool
James' Place offer men experiencing a suicidal crisis a proven,
intensive, therapeutic intervention in a safe environment. Open
Monday - Friday 9.30am - 5.30pm Not bank holidays.
Telephone:- 0151 303 5757.
E-mail:-
Info@JamesPlace.Org.UK.
For immediate help:- Text JP to 85258, our Crisis Line.
JamesPlace.org.UK.
Paul's Place
Offer free therapy for those bereaved by suicide.
0151 226 0696 or email:-
PaulsPlace@BeaconCounsellingTrust.Co.UK.
BeaconcounSellingTrust.Co.UK
Caring Connections/ Barbara Bettle Foundation
Offer counselling and CBT for those bereaved by suicide in
Knowsley.
Tel:- 0151 289 2761,
Email:-
Admin@CaringConnections.Org.UK.
Office Hours:- Monday to Friday, from 9:00 to 17:00.
National...
Samaritans - Contact Samaritans 24/7 on 116 123
(free) or:-
Samaritans.Org.
PAPYRUS - (For young people) Phone:- 0800 068 41
41 or visit:-
Papyrus-UK.Org.
A message
and special offer from the organisers of Reminisce Festival
"WE would like to take
the opportunity to reassure you all that with over 6 months to
go, Reminisce Festival is still scheduled to go ahead. We are
monitoring the situation and we will continue to do so, as the
health and safety of everyone is our top priority. We are
listening to and following the advice and guidelines from
Government, experts and public health agencies. We can't wait to
see you all smiling and dancing with us in September! And as a
massive thank you to our amazing NHS, we have a discount to show
you our love! Just for our fantastic NHS staff, you can save ₤35
per ticket! To check your eligibility please email us at:-
Info@ReminisceFestival.Com.
T&C's Apply:- 1 discounted ticket per person. Valid NHS photo ID
is required to secure this discount." The Reminisce
Festival Team…
Police
Commissioner secures contracts for Victim Care Merseyside
support services
MERSEYSIDE'S Police
Commissioner has extended the contracts of the support services
delivered to victims of crime in light of the global Coronavirus
epidemic. Jane Kennedy has moved to lengthen the contracts for
ten charities and social enterprises which she commissions as
part of the Victim Care Merseyside programme of support to
provide specialist help for victims of crime, including:-
victims of rape and sexual assault, young people who have been
sexually or criminally exploited and victims of hate crime. The
contracts for all these services were due to come to an end in
March 2021, but in response to the global Covid-19 pandemic and
in light of local elections being postponed to May 2021, the
Commissioner has taken the step to give certainty to the
organisations providing the services and ensure greater
stability and consistency for victims. All the services will now
be commissioned to run until March 2022.
Jane said:- "It is essential that victim support services
can continue to operate and support some of the most vulnerable
in our communities at this critical time, which is why I've
moved quickly to extend the contracts of these 10 essential
services, with the aim of relieving the pressure on the
fantastic organisations delivering these services and the people
they are helping. By taking this step now and extending the
contracts until March 2022, I hope victims of crime will feel
reassured that they will continue to be able to access the help,
guidance and support they need to cope following a crime and
move on to a path towards recovery. The lifetime of the previous
contracts had been designed to ensure victim support services
were in place until well after a new Police and Crime
Commissioner was in post, following the local elections
scheduled to take place in May, and give them enough time to
come to their own informed decision about what services they
wish to commission going forward. Now the election has been
postponed until May 2021, I did not want to leave these services
in a state of anxiety. I was keen to move quickly to give them
greater security and give victims the confidence that the
services they rely upon will continue to be there to support
them. By extending the lifetime of these contracts until March
2022, I hope I will give the next Police and Crime Commissioner
for Merseyside plenty of time, following the election, to
carefully review the existing services, carry out their own
assessment of what is needed, particularly given the changing
nature of crime, and decide upon the services they wish to
deliver in the future."
The extended Victim Care Merseyside services, which will now run
until March 2022, include the:-
► Dedicated aftercare support service for survivors of rape and
sexual assault jointly delivered by RASA
Merseyside and Rape and Sexual Abuse Support
Centre (RASASC) Cheshire and Merseyside.
► Vulnerable Victims' Champion service for vulnerable victims of
crime and anti-social behaviour delivered by Victim
Support.
► Specialist support service for victims of Child Sexual
Exploitation and Child Criminal Exploitation provided by Catch
22.
► Tailored hate crime support service jointly delivered by the
Anthony Walker
Foundation, Citizens'
Advice
Liverpool and Daisy
Inclusive
UK to provide specialist
support according to strand, as well as a third party hate crime
reporting service provided by Stop Hate
UK.
► Support for victims of harmful practices (including FGM,
forced marriage and so called:- 'honour based'
violence) provided by
Savera UK.
► 'The Hub' advice centre to provide support for
families who have lost a loved 1 to homicide, including crime
related road traffic collisions delivered by Families Fighting
for
Justice.
Making the announcement, the Commissioner also sought to
reassure victims of crime that support services continue to be
available during the Coronavirus outbreak. Although most face to
face support in people's homes and community settings has had to
be suspended in line with the current stringent public health
regulations, advice lines and websites continue to operate as
usual with Skype counselling also an option for those most in
need.
Jane added:- "This is a challenging time, but I want to
reassure people that if you are a victim of a crime you are not
alone. The Victim Care Merseyside services are still open and on
hand to support you. Merseyside Police will support you. We are
doing everything we can to ensure critical support and advice
continues to be provided to those who need it most throughout
this crisis. If you or someone you know has been a victim, you
can find a wealth of free information and advice on the Victim
Care Merseyside website. On this website, you can also find a
directory of services who are on hand to offer further guidance
and support. You can search these organisations by the type of
crime you have experienced or by geographical area, so you can
find the very best placed service to help you cope and recover
from your experience."
If you need help or support after a crime, please visit:-
VictimCareMerseyside.Org.
Total UK cases
COVID-19 cases - update for Liverpool City Region and
surroundings
ON the UK fell fallen silent to pay
tribute to the key workers who have died in the fight against
the Coronavirus. We also heard that the Scottish Government has
recommended people cover their faces where social distancing was
difficult, like in some enclosed public spaces, such as shops
and public transport. The UK Government has also added that face
coverings should not be used by people with Asthma or children
under the age of 2 and we're now waiting to see whether English
and Welsh Ministers follow Scotland's 1st Minister, Ms Sturgeon.
UK Hospital fatalities have been reported to have rise by 586 to
21,678 according to the the Department of Health. The number of
COVID-19 infections has risen by 3,996 to 161,145. In England,
there have been a total of 114,456 confirmed cases. Within the
North West 17,823 have been confirmed cases by laboratories.
Current hospital laboratory confirmed cases within the following
Local Authorities, in and around the Liverpool City Region are
as follows:-
► Liverpool, 1,345 confirmed cases.
► Sefton, 761 confirmed cases.
► Wirral, 960 confirmed cases.
► St. Helens, 616 confirmed cases.
► Halton, 308 confirmed cases.
► Lancashire, 2,634 confirmed cases.
► Cheshire West and Chester, 743 confirmed cases.
► Cheshire East, 812 confirmed cases.
► Manchester, 1,033 confirmed cases.
► Stockport, 780 confirmed cases.
► Trafford, 565 confirmed cases.
► Wigan, 595 confirmed cases.
► Bolton, 717 confirmed cases.
► Rochdale, 414 confirmed cases.
► Bury, 429 confirmed cases.
► Tameside, 440 confirmed cases.
► Oldham, 576 confirmed cases.
► Blackburn with Darwen, 293 confirmed cases.
These stats are according to Public Health England as of
28/04/2020. Last updated 7:14pm GMT. UK total includes
cases detected through:-
"Pillar 2" testing (tests carried out by
commercial partners) and therefore does not equate to the
sum of the 4 countries' counts, which only include:-
"Pillar 1" (tests carried out by NHS / PHE /
Devolved Administration Labs).
UK Government Coronavirus Press
Conference on 28 April 2020