COVID-19 Policy

Guidance for Friends, Volunteers and Employees of Darlington Town Mission
A15 revised Feb 2022

Coronavirus (COVID-19)
COVID-19 and the subsequent variants is an illness that affects lungs and airways. The recent increase in Omnicom variant cases has impacted on the DTM programme of events and activities once more.

Most of our fund-raising events and monthly outings have been suspended, but home visits and Friend’s Forum meeting have started up again. Keeping contact with Friends by telephone has become vital to so many that are lonely and isolated. We need more volunteers to take help with the extra telephone contact with Friends. We need help.

All of the Friends that we care for are over 80 years of age and many have pre-existing medical issues. This means that they are in a high-risk category, even after receiving two inoculations and the booster.

When DTM staff and volunteers meet our Friends they should continue to follow government guidelines for hygiene and infection control guidelines illustrated on the BBC’s video and included under How to avoid catching or spreading Coronavirus’ on the NHS website. This includes the use of rapid flow tests, PCR Testing, frequent hand washing and the use of hand sanitizers before and after delivering shopping and social distancing i.e. avoiding being less than a metre away from Friends as they deliver shopping.

If Friends are taken for medical appointments, visits to banks or building societies, they should use the back seats of the car and avoid physical contact with the driver. Taking Friends on shopping trips may be an unnecessary risk for them and for the drivers. Keep safe and stay healthy.

Clear guidelines for handling cash are followed when volunteers and staff help Friends with urgent shopping needs. This avoids any misunderstanding.

Track and Trace records for any physical contact with Friends must be kept by Missioners and volunteers. Face masks are advised throughout any face-to-face contacts, unless where food and drink are being served.

To comply with Test and Trace guidance, the Missioners will record in their daily work diaries each time they have physical contact with Friends by doorstep and home visits or when Friends are transported by car. This is necessary to safeguard the Friends and our staff from any transmission of the Covid-19. Their recordings for purposes of test and trace will be kept for 21 days only and not used for any other purposes.
Brian Simpson
DTM Vice Chair
16th February 2022

Further information can be found on-line at the NHS England website by clicking on this link:
Coronavirus (COVID-19) – NHS (www.nhs.uk)