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Margaret Jones, Sefton Council’s Director of Public Health
As World Immunisation Week gets underway Sefton Councilās Director of Public Health Margaret Jones is urging people across the Borough to ensure they are up to date with their routine vaccines.
Limelight
She said: āOver the past few years as a result of COVID, vaccines have been very much in the limelight and quite rightly so as during the pandemic they have saved many thousands of lives.
āIt is now important that we think about all those other vaccines that provide us with day-to-day protection from serious illnesses and suffering.
āThat means checking that we and, importantly, our children are up to date on the routine inoculations. The ones that protect us from serious diseases like measles, mumps, rubella, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and hepatitis which, thanks to vaccines, have largely disappeared in our country.
āBut for some of us it also means making sure we have had all the vaccinations against COVID, which is still about, including the latest third primary doses for those people who are immunosuppressed.ā
Risk
With one in ten children in England not up to date with their vaccinations and at risk of becoming seriously unwell, this World Immunisation Week (24-30th April), the NHS is encouraging people to make sure they are up to date with their routine vaccinations at all life stages.
In particular, the NHS is asking all parents to check if their children are up to date with their MMR vaccines to protect them against measles, mumps and rubella. To become fully protected, children need two doses, the first at age one year and the second at 3 years 4 months.
Rare complications
The World Health Organisation (WHO) have predicted a rise in measles cases across Europe in 2023, making it more important than ever to make sure that your child is fully protected. Measles can make a child seriously unwell and can lead to pneumonia and other rare complications such as blindness and brain damage.
To make sure your children are up to date check your childās red book or GP records and make an appointment to catch up any missed doses.
Margaret Jones added: āAfter clean water, vaccination is the most effective public health intervention in the world for saving lives and protecting good health.
āPeople can check whether their child is up to date with their vaccinations by looking in the childās red book or contacting their GP.ā
Spring booster
People aged 75 years and older, residents in care homes for older people, and those aged 5 years and over with a weakened immune system are now being offered Spring coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations.
COVID-19 is more serious in older people and in people with certain underlying health conditions. For these reasons, people aged 75 years and over, those in care homes, and those aged 5 years and over with a weakened immune system are being offered a spring booster of COVID-19 vaccine.
The NHS is contacting those who are eligible for the booster, but people can also book online or visit a walk-in COVID-19 vaccination site.
The āLiving Wellā bus service is returning to Sefton this month to offer eligible residents Spring booster jabs as well as the chance to catch up on first and second COVID-19 vaccines for anyone who hasnāt had them yet.
On Friday 28th April, it will be at the former H Samuel unit, Strand Shopping Centre, Bootle and on Wednesday 10th May, it will be at Lidl Car Park in Maghull. The bus will be open from 10:30am-4pm and no appointments are needed.
The āLiving Wellā bus service is returning to Sefton this month to offer residents a free health check and the opportunity to catch up on first and second COVID-19 vaccines. Third primary doses will also be available for people who are immunosuppressed.
Operating as a drop-in service, the bus offers a range of physical health checks, COVID-19 vaccinations, and referrals to talking therapies.
No appointment needed
The bus will be at the following location from 10:30am-4pm, with no appointment needed:
Former H Samuel unit – Strand Shopping Centre, Bootle – Friday 28 April.
Maghull Lidl Car Park, North way, Maghull Wednesday 10th May.
The service, which is delivered by the Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, was launched in June 2022 to offer a consistent health and care approach across communities across Cheshire and Merseyside. All activity is recorded and shared with your GP, ensuring ongoing understanding and support for your health is in place.
Sefton residents struggling to afford energy, food and water bills are being urged to apply to the Open Access Household Support Fund.
Financial help
Open to low income households, the Open Access Household Support Fund can provide financial help which does not have to be paid back. Neither will it be treated as income for tax or benefit purposes.
To apply, households have to show they need immediate financial help towards energy, food, and essential household bills. This means showing they are on a low-income and are struggling to pay their bills.
Utility bills
Applicants must be able to show they are Sefton residents and that they are responsible for utility bills.
They also need to show that either they earn less than Ā£20,000 a year if they are single or Ā£30,000 as couples with or without children, they receive Universal Credit and earnings below Ā£10,000 or that a resident in the household is in receipt of either Attendance Allowance, Carers Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment or is a Care Leaver.
Or they need to show they have not been eligible for other government support with the cost-of-living crisis or if you have received government support, they can demonstrate that they need further support.
ELAS
The scheme is not open to households that have received support towards utility bills from the Councilās Emergency Limited Assistance Scheme (ELAS) in the last six months.
There is free computer, Internet and Wi-Fi access at local Sefton libraries for those who have difficulty accessing online services. Additionally, anyone struggling to apply online can contact the Councilās Contact Centre on 0345 140 0845.
Applications will be cross-checked to other services including where applicable to data held by the Department for Work and Pensions.
Just over a week left to apply, for anyone who needs new, free Voter Authority Certificate as ID to vote at polling station
Just over a week is left for anyone who doesn’t have the photo ID required by new legislation to vote at a polling station, to apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate.
Applications must be received by 5pm on Tuesday 25 April.
Changes
Changes by the UK Government to the UK electoral system through The Elections Act, mean you will need to show an accepted form of photographic identification to vote at a polling station in the local elections on Thursday 4th May 2023.
If you are voting at a polling station on election day, Thursday 4th May 2023, you will need to show one form of photographic ID..
You can use any of the following:
a passport
a driving licence – including provisional license
a Blue Badge
an older personās bus pass (it must state it is funded by the government – local travel passes cannot be used)
a disabled personās buss pass
an identity card with Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) mark
If you do not have photo ID from the accepted list above, you can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate but applications must be received by 5pm on Tuesday 25 April.
If you are not able to apply online or would prefer to receive a paper application form, please contact Electoral Services on 0345 140 0845 or email electors@sefton.gov.uk
Deadline
The deadline for applications for Voter Authority Certificates is 5pm on Tuesday 25th April, but please apply as soon as possible if you do not already have an accepted from of photo ID.
Postal Voters WON’T be affected by this change.
Postal Votes
If you don’t want to go to a polling station or would struggle to get to one on Thursday 4th May, you can vote by post.
You can apply for postal vote because youāre away on holiday or because your work schedule means you can’t get to polling station.
You can also choose to vote by post simply because it would be more convenient for you.
The deadline to apply for a postal vote for the May 2023 elections is 5pm on Tuesday 18th April
If you can’t make it to a polling station and do not want to cast your vote by post, you can ask someone you trust to cast your vote for you.
This is called a proxy vote and the person casting your vote is often referred to as ‘your proxy.’
If you nominate a proxy, the person you choose to vote on your behalf will need to show their own photo ID to cast your vote. They will not need to show your ID.
The deadline to apply for a proxy vote for the May 2023 elections is 5pm on Tuesday 25th April.
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