Highlights
- Support for businessesFind out about grants, finance, restrictions and general supportMore on business support
- Festive food fundGive what you can to make sure no one goes hungry this ChristmasMore on the food fund
- Flu immunisationGet your flu vaccine to help the NHS this winter (12-13 Dec HTH)More on flu immunisation
- CyberattackCouncil services are disrupted and you may experience difficulty contacting us or using our servicesMore on disruption to services
- Do you need financial help?Find out what financial help you could be entitled to and how to apply for itMore on financial help
- Find support services mapFind organisations that are open, but providing an alternative to their usual activities in response to coronavirusView the map
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Council news
Historic moment as Josephine, 83, is first Hackney resident to receive coronavirus vaccine
16th December 2020
Coronavirus vaccinations started to be rolled out in Hackney today (16 December), as the borough was chosen as one of the first 100 vaccination sites to open this month in the UK.Over the next four days almost 1000 people will be vaccinated against coronavirus at Elsdale Street Surgery. The first set of people to be vaccinated, by appointment only, include those aged over 80 and frontline health and social care workers.Cheers erupted from the Doctors, Nurses, volunteers and patients as the vaccine was given to the first patient this morning. The first person to get the vaccine was Josephine Casey, 83 from Haggerston, who moved to Hackney in 1980 and previously worked as a Council Houisng Officer. Josephine was vaccinated by Dr Shaine Mehta, a local GP who put himself forward to help with the vaccination effort. Dr Anna Pilkington was the person to vaccinated the second person, John Parker, 81. The country-wide vaccination programme is the result of the hard work of thousands of scientists across the world, rigorous testing and clinical trials and, finally, approval of vaccines by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Mr Manubhai and Mrs Kamuben Patel, 91 from Hackney Central were brought in by their son Ashwin Patel who was grateful to see his parents getting protected.People will be contacted by the NHS once it is their turn with information on how to receive the vaccine. For most people this will be a letter, either from their GP or the national NHS. This letter will include all the information needed to book appointments, including a person's NHS number. Ivan Worrell, 94 from South Hackney attended with his daughter.Mayor of Hackney, Philip Glanville came along with Cllr Kennedy, Cabinet Member for Health to the opening of the vaccination centre. Please do not contact the NHS to get an appointment until you get this letter. Information on the vaccine is available on here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/coronavirus-vaccine/ In the New Year two further vaccination centres will be set up in the borough. Keep up to date with the vaccine roll out by signing up to the Council’s newsletter at www.hackney.gov.uk/newsletters.
"A great place to grow old" - new ageing well strategy approved
16th December 2020
The Council has committed to making Hackney an age-friendly borough as it's new Ageing Well Strategy was accepted at Cabinet on Monday (14 December). The Ageing Well Strategy sets out the Council’s vision for becoming an age-friendly borough where older residents feel empowered, informed, valued and supported through age-friendly communities and services and specialist care as the need arises. The strategy sets also outlines the approach the Council is taking to promote and accomplish this over the next five years. It is about catering for the wide range of people aged 55+ through age friendly policies, building a community that values and includes older people, benefits from their contributions and supports them in their later years. The document has been created through community engagement sessions, which engaged around 400 residents, collating ideas drawing on people’s lived experiences of growing older in Hackney. The consultation was co-produced with a group of peer facilitators, recruited by Connect Hackney who worked with council officers on engagement and finalising the draft strategy. The strategy aims to provide and build on opportunities for greater intergenerational activity, social participation, civic inclusion and localised support through partnership working, including: utilising and promoting community assets, building digital skills through digital buddy schemes, reviewing the Council’s public realm furniture like benches, supporting and promoting volunteering, working with businesses to create more age friendly high streets, involving older people to co-produce solutions,creating intergenerational programmes through work with Young Hackney, Hackney Youth Parliament, Hackney Young Futures Commission, schools and children's centres.Part of the implementation of the ageing well strategy is its oversight and monitoring and we want to involve older residents to become a part of this. More on this will be available in the new year. Read the Ageing Well Strategy on the Council website. As not everyone is online, or if a resident has a family member, friend or neighbour who might be interested in reading Hackney's Ageing Well Strategy, people can contact 0208 356 4979 or policyprojects@hackney.gov.uk to receive a hard copy.
