COVID-19

The Road to 2020Community benefit through the pursuit of excellence

COVID-19 IMPORTANT EMPLOYEE INFORMATION

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

(click here for Updated Supplementary Guidance as of 15 April)

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(Papildus vadlīnijas-2020.gada 15.aprīlī)

All Employee Communication from Iain Waddell, Managing Director

COVID-19, NO 19, 29 May 2020

I hope that this latest briefing finds you and your family well. We are now in our 9^th week of lockdown and while the publishing of the Scottish Government’s ‘Route Map’ indicates that we are on the road out of lockdown towards recovery, it is also clear life will be different for some time to come.

Everyone has experienced change of varying degrees during the COVID-19 pandemic and as individuals, we all deal with and process change differently. I appreciate that some employees may be adapting well and coping with the changes presented, whilst others may be anxious and struggling to adjust, and others may find themselves moving between states of coping and struggling.

Your health, safety and wellbeing remain of paramount importance to Tayside Contracts, so I am using this briefing to remind you of the support that Tayside Contracts continues to offer to employees, including access to health and wellbeing resources.

Health and Wellbeing Resources

Information has been developed and is available on our website here to provide employees with some advice and tips on how to maintain good wellbeing during this COVID-19 situation. The topics covered include how to look after your mental and physical wellbeing, the importance of sleeping well and of eating well and staying hydrated.

We have also published an updated Mental Health and Wellbeing Resource Contact List with contact details we know to be valid during this coronavirus outbreak. This contact list includes details of several useful websites and apps, such as the Mental Health Foundation, which cover multiple topics and can be very beneficial for most people.

I hope you find this information beneficial but please remember that your line manager and our HR Team are available to provide you with support should this be necessary. If there is a particular area you are struggling with, or would like more information on, please contact a member of the HR Team on the following numbers/email addresses:

Amy Coburn, 01382 834120 or amy.coburn@tayside-contracts.co.uk

Jenny McAllister, 01382 834043 or jenny.mcallister@tayside-contracts.co.uk

Suzanne Keay, 01382 834094 or Suzanne.keay@tayside-contracts.co.uk

COVID-19 Teleconsultation Line - People Asset Management (PAM)

I would like to take this opportunity to remind employees that our Occupational Health provider People Asset Management (PAM) has set up a COVID-19 Advice Teleconsultation Service. Employees can call 07957666296 to request assistance and they will be provided with a date and time when an Occupational Health Advisor will call them back to discuss their concerns.

It is important to note that this service is not an alternative to bypass NHS 111 and should not be used to discuss symptoms relating to COVID-19 or fitness for work. Any queries in relation to fitness for work will be referred to the relevant line manager to make a formal management referral.

Occupational Health Appointments

Despite disruptions to a lot of services, we continue to have access to Occupational Health appointments with our Occupational Health provider PAM at this time. The majority of appointments will be arranged as tele and video conference appointments, although face to face appointments are available should these be necessary.

Any employee who requires an Occupational Health appointment will be referred accordingly. Counselling and Physiotherapy appointments can also be arranged for employees who require access to these services.

If any of your contact details have changed please inform your Line Manager and request that your record is updated.

Wellbeing Meetings

To ensure that those employees who are currently working from home are coping with the pressures of working from home, balancing other commitments they may have and adjusting to these very different work environments line managers may where appropriate be in touch to arrange a wellbeing meeting via video conference, with an HR Adviser in attendance. I would encourage you to be open in discussing any challenges you are facing in order that your manager can explore different solutions with you.

Supplementary Guidance

Recent developments have allowed further clarification on some of the points in our COVID-19 Supplementary Guidance Document, which was last updated on 15 April 2020. Therefore, updated Supplementary Guidance will be published shortly in the format of frequently asked questions.

COVID-19 Testing for Tayside Contracts Key Workers

The Scottish Government has now launched their Test and Protect approach and I plan to provide comprehensive information on this to you next week. In the meantime, testing remains available for all eligible Tayside Contracts key workers and any immediate family living in the same household as them when either the employee, or family member, is symptomatic of COVID-19.

If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and believe that you may be eligible for testing, please contact your line manager in the first instance who will take the details required and arrange for these to be sent to the NHS for screening. Please note that, at present, part of the eligibility criteria for testing is the impact a positive test result would have on your ability to continue to attend work to deliver key services.

Should you have any questions about any of the topics covered in this briefing or are seeking support please do not hesitate to contact your Line Manager. Please continue to refer to Tayside Contracts’ website www.tayside-contracts.co.uk on a regular basis to check for further updates.

If you have not already done so and wish to provide your email address to us in order to benefit from electronic access to communications such as these, please forward your email address to Communications@tayside-contracts.co.uk. We will not forward your email address onto any third parties or use it for any other purpose other than to communicate with you.

Iain C Waddell, Managing Director, 29 May 2020