Coronavirus
Coronavirus Information
In light of the current Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, please find below some useful information including contacts for local support services & advice and updates.
For the latest information always use reliable and official sources such as the Government’s website and the NHS on the links below:
- Government’s latest advice and guidance on Coronavirus
- NHS Information & Advice on Covid-19
- Download the NHS Covid-19 App
- Get tested for Covid-19
- Check the number of cases in your area
Page Navigation
- Covid-19 vaccination rollout in Thame
- Council Services & Information
- Local Covid-19 Support Services & Contacts
- Health Support & Prescriptions
- Support For Businesses and Self-Employed
- Food Support, Supermarket Priority Hours & Meal Deliveries
- Financial Support
- Activities For Children and Activities For Adults
- Scams to be aware of & Crime Prevention tips
- Event and Venue Opening Updates
- How can I help?
Read TTC’s newsletters for all the latest local news
Read TTC’s business newsletters for the latest local business news
Covid-19 Vaccine update from Thame’s GP surgeries
Covid-19 vaccinations now available for kids (Update at 30 June 2022)
Two doses of the vaccine (at least 12 weeks apart) should give children long-lasting protection against serious complications of infection and some protection from mild symptoms. To book an appointment, please visit https://www.nhs.uk/covidvaccination or call 119.
Covid-19 vaccinations for those housebound (Update at 23 June 2022)
If you are housebound and you need your 4th Covid vaccination (sometimes called the Spring Booster), you can now have this dose at home. The Patient Advice Liaison Service (PALS) can book your appointment and let the vaccination team at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust know when to visit you. If you are a carer, friend or family member of someone housebound, please share this information with them and contact PALS on 0800 328 5640, or email bucksccgs@nhs.net.
Rycote Practice (at 20 December 2021)
Over 7000 patients of The Rycote Practice have now received their booster jabs. Including those who have booked to have their booster jab over the next 4 days we expect over 77% of patients age 18 and over will have been boosted by Christmas. Well done Thame – this is well above the national average.However we still have 800 empty appointments on Tuesday 21st, Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd December. We are aware that some patients have expressed concerns about getting their booster so close to Christmas. Everyone’s immune response is different but we would like to reassure patients that we are not experiencing high levels of feedback from patients about feeling unwell. Vaccines remain the best way to protect people against COVID-19 and data from the UK Health Security Agency shows a booster vaccine increases protection against symptomatic infection from the Omicron variant to around 70%.Infections continue to rise at an alarming rate. If you are over the age of 18 and are due your Covid booster jab please book now.We are also allowing patients who have yet to receive a Covid vaccination dose and those due their second dose to book. This includes patients between the ages of 12 and 17. If you are eligible, you should have received a text message allowing you to automatically book online. If you are having problems please call the surgery and we will help to get you booked in.Stay safe. Get your jab. Thank you.
Unity Health (at 16 December 2021)
There is a national drive to urgently administer COVID booster vaccines to all adults. Over the festive period Unity Health and Cross Keys surgery will be working hard to deliver 1000’s of booster vaccines at our vaccination clinic in the Princes Risborough Community Centre (HP27 9AX).Due to the urgency of this national task, we will be less able to deliver our normal GP services and we may need to contact you to postpone any pre-booked appointments but we will still be able to assist patients with urgent matters.We have sent a text invites to all our patients aged over 18 and that have received their 2nd COVID vaccine more than 3 months ago. We will also be phoning those who do not have a mobile number saved to their medical record. We will be adding new clinics daily over the next couple of weeks and these will be appointments to book to have your vaccine within the next day or 2. If you click on the link and there are no available appointments or none at a time you can make, please keep checking the link morning, night and day and you will get booked in for the immediate future!!How can you help us?
- Please book via the link you receive in our text invite ASAP. If you do not have a smart phone, please forward the link to someone with a smart phone who can book the appointment for you.
- If you have an appointment booked elsewhere, please check the link as we can most likely get you booked in sooner. If you would rather keep your appointment at another centre, please decline our invite by clicking on the link. This will allow us to manage how many patients we have left to vaccinate and how many staff to pull away from GP work to vaccinate in the clinic.
- If you are unsure if you can have the vaccine please still make an appointment, you will be pre-screened at your appointment and any concerns can be discussed with our clinical lead. Should we have any concerns that you should not be given a booster vaccine, we will arrange a referral to the appropriate service to investigate (Unity Health and Cross Key patients only).
- If you click on the link and there are no available appointments or none available at a time you can make, please keep checking the link morning, night and day and you will get booked in for the immediate future!!
- If you are unable to attend your COVID vaccine appointment please use the link the cancel and rebook ASAP, please try not to call reception to cancel your appointment, this will help prevent vaccine wastage.
- Please do not call reception to book a COVID vaccination appointment, we have a separate team managing the COVID vaccine bookings and we will be phoning those who do not have a mobile number saved to their medical record.
- If you have emailed us or left a message regarding a COVID vaccine query, please do not chase for a response, we will get back to you.
- Lastly, please be patient with us, we are all trying our utmost best given the very difficult circumstances. Our receptionists are there to answer the phones, they may not have the answer to your vaccine query as the national guidance is fluid but they will pass your query on to the appropriate member of staff who will contact you ASAP, this is likely be a little longer than usual.
Many Thanks for your ongoing support!
Covid-19 Vaccine Priority List
Council Services & Information
Thame Town Council
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To contact Thame Town Council for any assistance, please email (info@thametowncouncil.gov.uk) or call 01844 212833 (this number is monitored during our standard office hours).
- Thame Information Centre and Town Hall are now open Mondays/Tuesdays/Wednesdays 9am to 4:30pm, Thursdays 10am-4:30pm, and Friday 9am-4pm. We are closed daily 12:30pm-1:30pm.
- Thame Market – For the latest updates, visit the Thame Tuesday Charter Market Facebook page.
- Skate Park, Play Areas, Parks and Open Spaces – all are open. The equipment is not cleaned, so please regularly wash your hands, avoid touching your face and do not allow children to touch it with their mouths. Please maintain social distancing at all times – come back later if it is busy.
- Council Meetings – All council and committee meetings are now being held in person at the Town Hall. Please keep up to date with future Council meeting dates by visiting our schedule of meetings and checking the agendas for venue / capacity details.
- Councillor Drop-In – our monthly Councillor Drop-Ins have not yet resumed. If you would like to speak to a Councillor, you can find their contact details on our website, or contact a Councillor using the webform.
- High Street Recovery Plan – Thame Town Council has put together a plan to help the High Street recover, and you are encouraged to read and comment on it.
South Oxfordshire District Council – Covid-19 Service Updates and Support
Correct disposal of used lateral flow test kits
Oxfordshire County Council – Covid-19 Service Updates and Support
Local Support Services & Contacts
The Town Council will do all it can to support its local community and businesses, so please do contact us on the above information if you need help.
Below is a list of useful numbers and local support services, and make sure to check out the links to the Useful and Emergency Contacts pages too.
Support during Covid-19
Age UK Oxfordshire – 01865 411 288. Telephone support service including a friendly, regular weekly call to see how people are and offer advice if needed.
Thame Phone Support Line – 0330 022 1441. For residents of Thame who need support with food shopping and prescription collections or would like a friendly chat. The phone line is supported by the Thame Good Neighbour Scheme and Love Thame Helpers.
Oxfordshire All In / Oxford Together – if you are not in a high risk category but still in need of support, there are a number of initiatives taking place across Oxfordshire.
NHS Volunteer Responders – 0808 196 3646. A Government initiative to assist those self-isolating, shielding or needing extra support.
See also the Food Support and Financial Support sections of this page.
Support & Advice Services
Citizens Advice – the team are able to offer advice over the phone on 0808 278 7907 (freephone) or by email thame@osavcab.org.uk between 9am and 5pm on weekdays. You can also visit their website for advice related to Covid-19 and employment, as well as universal credit, benefits and scams.
Online Child Abuse Support Services – Reports of online child sexual abuse in the Thames Valley area were 146% higher in March 2020 in comparison with March 2019.
Oxfordshire Domestic Abuse Services – free advice: 0800 731 0055 (Mon-Fri 10am-7pm), or the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
Debt Support [PDF] – Christians Against Poverty (CAP) has opened a Debt Centre in partnership with Grace Church Thame and the support of all the churches in Thame. Call 0800 328 0006, Monday – Friday.
Victims First offer a range of support services for victims of crime or abuse.
Spiritual Support
- Barley Hill Church
- Cornerstone Thame
- Grace Church Thame
- St Mary’s Church Thame
- St Joseph’s Catholic Church
Health & Care Support and Prescriptions
NHS ‘Health at Home’ has lots of useful information on how to order repeat prescriptions, contact your GP, find out about urgent dental treatment, manage long-term conditions and maintain your mental and physical well-being.
Rycote Practice
Call: 01844 261066
Rycote Practice – Facebook updates
Unity Health
Call: 01844 212553
Unity Health – Facebook updates
Looking after yourself – these are unprecedented times and it is normal to feel anxious, stressed or worried, but it is important to take care of yourself during this time. Check out the Activities for Adults and Activities for Children sections of this page for resources and ideas. Exercise videos for the elderly – Generation Games (part of Age UK Oxfordshire) have uploaded exercise videos specifically for the elderly.
To protect yourself and others, always follow government Covid-19 guidance on social distancing and face masks, and observe good personal hygiene at all times.
Covid-19 symptoms?
- Follow Government guidance on isolation and testing
- Get advice & check your symptoms via NHS 111 online
- Book an NHS covid-19 test
Other medical conditions? Many non-urgent services, routine operations, referrals and outpatient appointments were cancelled during the Covid-19 outbreak, but most have since resumed – contact your GP for the latest update. If you have symptoms that you would normally speak to your GP about, do not hesitate to contact your GP (by phone/online). Necessary consultation will take place either online, by telephone or video link and some may take place face-to-face with appropriate safety measures in place.
Prescriptions
Do NOT order medication more than 2 weeks before you run out.
Boots will deliver prescriptions to those:
-
that have a NHS shielding letter
-
that have a GP letter to advise them to self-isolate
-
with Covid symptoms
If this applies to you, call Boots High Street (01844 213882) or East Street (01844 218248) to arrange delivery.
The Love Thame Helpers will continue to deliver urgent medication and prescriptions for those who do not fall into one of the above categories. Call 0330 022 1441 or complete the Google Form to request prescription collection and delivery requests. The delivery team have been DBS checked and have strict protocols to manage the deliveries which protect them and you.
Collecting Prescriptions?
Prescriptions will be sent to your nominated Pharmacy – inform your GP practice which pharmacy you would like this sent to. (Note: Unity Health will automatically send to Boots High Street unless you told them otherwise). Boots offer a text alert service which you can sign-up to to be notified when your prescription is ready to collect.
Prescription Delivery to your home?
- Boots Pharmacy and Pharmacy2U allow you to order repeat prescriptions directly without being registered with your doctor’s online services (these are only available to Rycote Practice patients at present)
- JMW Vicary Pharmacy, Haddenham, also deliver. They will telephone you to prepay (where relevant) and then arrange a delivery to your door. 01844 291 960.
Other Health Support
- See also the Support & Advice Services section of this page
- Move Together – a brand new scheme for Oxfordshire and is here to support you to move more, to help improve your physical health, mental health and wellbeing, particularly if this has been negatively impacted by Covid-19.
- Mental Health Helpline for Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire (Adults: 01865 904 997, Children and young people: 01865 904 998) – a partnership with Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and TalkingSpace Plus. It is open 24/7 and will direct people to the right mental health support to take pressure off NHS 111.
- Hospital visits – to protect patients and staff, Oxford University Hospitals have announced measures for visiting.
- Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust services at Thame Community Hub. View the information video on the steps taken by Bucks Healthcare NHS Trust in response to Covid-19.
Support for Businesses & Self-Employed
Thame Initiatives
- Sign up for the Town Council’s Business Newsletter for monthly updates.
- Browse local businesses and list your own for free on the Shop OX9 Directory & Guide
- Thame Town Centre Covid-19 Recovery Action Plan – your thoughts are welcome and can be submitted via the survey at the bottom of the Action Plan page.
SODC Initiatives
- South & Vale Business Support (SVBS) – Financial Support
- SVBS Resources for Businesses
- Contact SODC’s Economic Development Team – 01235 422208 or business.support@southandvale.gov.uk
Government Initiatives
- Government covid-19 business support and guidance
- Self-Employed Helpline – call 0300 456 3565 for advice from HMRC on tax and benefits assistance
- Government business grants and financial support
Food Support, Meal Deliveries & Supermarket Hours
Food Support
If you would like to help the Thame Foodbank, you can download the Foodbank app to your phone, and select ‘Sharing Life Trust’ to see the current list of needed items locally. If you need support from the Foodbank, please call 0300 201 0212 or 07541 299010, or visit the Sharing Life Trust website.
Sharing Life Trust have launched a Community Larder for Thame. This will provide a way to access staple food, reduce food waste and improve the well-being of residents.
Meal Deliveries
There are lots of businesses locally who are offering a delivery service from their restaurants, cafes and butchers. Thame Rewards Club has posted a handy guide of the known businesses.
Chinnor Rugby Club are trialling a new service to provide free homemade hot meals to the elderly and vulnerable of Thame and Chinnor. This new venture is based at the catering facility already on site and funded by the club’s sponsors and delivered by volunteers on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you, or anyone you know, would benefit from a free homemade meal delivered to your door, please in the email crfcmeals@gmail.com.
Financial Support
Below are some of the funding streams the Town Council is aware of, which are available for community organisations and individuals to apply to. Note that some funding applications below may be temporarily paused / being reviewed.
Creative / Sport
Community Groups / Organisations and Charities
- Oxfordshire All In list of resources & networks for community support groups.
- Charity Bank – a list of emergency funds for charities and social enterprises that are experiencing difficulties.
- Civil Society – a list of funding available for charities.
- National Lottery Awards for All – Grant funding between £300 and £10,000 for voluntary / community organisations in England who are supporting people at high risk or communities facing challenges as a result of Covid-19 measures.
Activities for Children
Each school will have their own Covid-19 arrangements as well as online resources and facilities, so for the latest information please check their websites below. Parent-mail / newsletters will be the main way in which the school communicates with its parents so check your emails too.
- Barley Hill Primary School
- John Hampden Primary School
- Lord Williams’s School
- St Joseph’s Primary School
Ideas for School at Home
- Daily lessons for primary, secondary and students aged 16+ on BBC Bitesize
- P.E. Classes with Joe Wicks (The Body Coach) on YouTube
- Oxford Owl – English, Reading and Maths activities
Fun Activities
- Quizzes and activities by Thame Museum
- Colouring In ‘Thank You’s’
- NHS & Key Workers (JPG) (graphic created by local Creation Station)
- Waste Collectors (PDF) – (graphic courtesy of Ross Speirs)
- Love Thame Helpers (JPG)
- Check out Little Ankle Biters comprehensive list of ideas of activities to keep little ones busy and stay healthy.
- Download park-related activities from Fields in Trust including tree spotting guide, quizzes and bug hunting! They are also bringing parks to you by offering virtual tours of parks across the UK
Activities for Adults
- NHS exercises to do at home including strengthening activities and workout videos
- Discover thousands of arts and culture creations and venues online (via Google)
- Join the new Virtual Community Choir set up by a Thame resident – email virtualcommunitychoir@gmail.com for information.
- Borrow a book from Thame Library
- Walk the Thame Outer Circuit or Thame Inner Circuit
Scams
Covid-19 Vaccine Scams
Residents are urged to be on their guard against scammers using the promise of a coronavirus vaccine to con them out of money. Criminals across the country are contacting people out of the blue with offers of a coronavirus vaccination. These approaches have been made by text or from a recorded voice message on the telephone. In each case the recipient is required to respond by clicking a link in the text message or by pressing 1 when receiving the call. They are then asked to give personal information, as well as financial details to book their vaccination. However, these are scams, with criminals exploiting the pandemic to attempt to steal personal details and people’s money. The NHS is currently offering the COVID-19 vaccine free of charge to people most at risk from coronavirus. These people will be contacted by the NHS.
Warning Signs
- Scammers who try to get you to pay them money for ‘early access’ to the vaccine.
- Scammers who ask for private information such as bank account details or your NHS number.
- Scammers knocking on your door claiming they can get you early access to the COVID-19 vaccine.
- Vaccine-themed phishing campaigns from suspicious email addresses with hyperlinks that contain misspelled domain names.
- Highly emotive language designed to manipulate you; do not supply login credentials or personal information in response to an email.
Steps to avoid being caught by a scam
- Monitor key financial accounts regularly.
- Keep software and apps updated.
- If you get a suspicious text asking you to click on a link this could be a scam. Do not click on the link.
- If you receive a recorded voice message on your phone and are asked to press a number, this could be a scam. Do not press any buttons and do not call the number back.
- Report all scams via Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.
Before clicking on a link or providing your personal details, stop and ‘take five’. Never be afraid to delete the text, put the phone down or close the door. To find out more about how scams work, the harm they cause and how you can help to protect people in your community, consider becoming a Friend Against Scams and read about the ‘Take 5’ campaign.
Event & Venue Opening Updates
Good news – many events have confirmed they are going ahead this year! See the upcoming calendar of events below:
Please check the respective websites of the following organisations for their Covid-19 re-opening policies:
How Can I Help?
- Volunteer
- NHS Volunteer Responders
- Thame’s Foodbank and Community Larder, both run by Sharing Life Trust
- Thame Good Neighbour Scheme
- Find volunteering opportunities in Thame through the Love Thame Helpers Facebook Group and in Oxfordshire via Oxfordshire All In
- Volunteers are needed to assist with the new free homemade hot meal delivery service for the elderly and vulnerable of Thame and Chinnor using Chinnor Rugby Club’s catering facilities. Please email: crfcmeals@gmail.com for more information.
- Donate unneeded Oxfordshire NRS loaned equipment. Details of the scheme and examples of loaned equipment [JPEG].
- Sew items for NHS Staff and face masks – join the ‘A Stitch in Thame’ Facebook Group who are coordinating efforts locally.