Agenda item

Grant Young, Mull Safe and Sound

Grant Young advised that Mull Safe and Sound was a mental health and community isolation support group which was started in September 2016. Grant noted that the Group provided peer-to-peer support to people across a wide age range, from people in their 20s to people in their 90s. Grant provided details of the way in which the Group had to adapt to Covid-19 and changing national guidance, advising that the Group had circulated leaflets with the assistance of the postal service which had included contact numbers for organisations such as the Samaritans for those who may have been struggling.  Grant noted that the Group had provided virtual peer-to-peer support using Skype and Zoom and noted that a new men’s support group had started on Monday and had been well attended.

Grant advised that the Mull Safe and Sound group is self-funded and applies for statutory funding where available. Grant noted that throughout the lockdown period, the core focus of the Group was on keeping in contact with their members and keeping them safe by sending out care packages and letting them know that support was still available.

In response to a question from Councillor McCuish, Grant confirmed that the number of visitors on the island had not affected the Group and noted that the Group was open to anyone requiring support. Councillor Devon praised the Group’s activities and advised that they also assisted in signposting people to other services within the community and ensuring that visitors felt welcomed as part of the community. It was agreed that Grant would forward a leaflet to the Community Development Officer to be circulated to anyone who may be interested in their work.

Lynn Campbell, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)

Lynn Campbell advised that the 5 DWP offices throughout Argyll and Bute had remained open during the lockdown period for vulnerable customers and provided details of additional measures put in place to ensure safety during the pandemic. Lynn noted that most interaction with customers since March had taken place digitally or by phone. Lynn advised that DWP were now working with customers around new initiatives and that 13,500 new employees were being hired to support with the increase in caseload sizes for the service. Lynn provided details around the recruitment of youth employability coaches; work around the Kick-start initiative; and work which was ongoing to ensure that all applications were processed in a timely manner. In response to a question from the Chair, Lynn confirmed that the DWP work in partnership with the Council’s Community Learning Team.

Lynn advised that Oban was one of the hardest hit areas in the UK during lockdown, with an increase in caseload of 300% and advised that partnership working had been important in managing this. Lynn provided details of a video chat service pilot which would run on the 18^th of November and noted that Oban Job Centre had been selected to trial this with customers.  Lynn confirmed that she would contact Councillor Devon out with the meeting to discuss a constituents experience in applying for Disability Living Allowance. 

Councillor Lynch advised that staff in Oban Job Centre had been helpful when contacted and expressed concern that employment issues would increase, noting that plans should be put in place to combat this. Lynn confirmed that a new DWP service leader had been appointed for the west district and a meeting had taken place with Argyll and Bute Council’s Chief Executive and Head of Development and Economic Growth to highlight key areas where work is required. Lynn noted that work was being undertaken to analyse caseloads and demographics to gain a better understanding of customer’s needs. Brian Smith advised that the Community Learning Team, alongside other partners, had also worked with DWP around digital employability hubs. 

Inspector Mark Stephen, Police Scotland

Inspector Stephen advised that the Police had faced significant challenges and changes to the way they worked during Covid-19 and in light of regular changes in guidance, noting that the Police focus was on ensuring that there were sufficient resources in place to attend priority 1 and 2 calls where required. Inspector Stephen confirmed that all officers in the area have access to all necessary PPE equipment to respond to any situation. Inspector Stephen outlined a new system whereby low priority calls could be dealt with by call centre teams to ensure that there are enough staff available to deal with emergency calls where required.

Inspector Stephen provided an update on the upgrade to the custody centre and the training of officers in Mull, Tiree and Oban to use appropriate equipment to deal with significantly violent situations without the need to wait for teams coming from other areas, noting that rural stations now had access to the appropriate equipment in case it was required and were aware of how to use it if needed, although the need to use this equipment was not anticipated. Inspector Stephen confirmed that Police Scotland’s policy continued to be to explain, engage and encourage before resorting to enforcement.

In response to a question from the Community Development Officer, Inspector Stephen confirmed that good levels of compliance had been seen across the area following challenges during the summer relating to an influx of people from other areas at a time when guidance had differed across Scotland.

Gary Cringle, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service

Gary Cringle advised that although there has been a national spike in domestic fire incidents, this does not appear to have been the case in the local area. Gary confirmed that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service had generally coped well throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, noting that there had been a small increase in accidental dwelling fires linked to the increase in time people were spending in their homes. Gary advised that there had been a decrease in the number of Road Traffic Collisions in the area which the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service had to respond to, likely due to a decrease in traffic.. 

Gary confirmed that community engagement remained high on the priority list for the service, noting that the service continued to attend properties who reported no working smoke detection throughout lockdown, although at that time only high risk home fire safety visits were being carried out with appropriate PPE following an initial telephone assessment.

Gary advised that it was hoped to capture medium and low risk referrals for home fire safety visits as restrictions were eased, noting that in the interim the Service would continue to promote community safety messages. Gary confirmed that the Service continued as normal to action AP1 forms identifying the most vulnerable people within the community. Gary provided details of the Make the Call initiative which encouraged people to identify at risk individuals who may benefit from intervention. 

Discussion took place around the new legislation coming into force around smoke detection systems in February 2022 and the ways in which this would impact people, as well as the support available from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. In response to a question from Councillor Devon, Gary confirmed that he would request clarification as to whether recruitment was being carried out specifically for the islands or if the ongoing recruitment process was part of a national campaign.