Lincolnshire County Council has said the majority of its services will continue during lockdown, including tips, core libraries, inquests and funerals.
Lincoln Castle’s grounds will be open daily from 10am-4pm, seven days a week, as a green space for exercise and wellbeing.
Council leader Martin Hill said several services will continue without change, while others will operate differently.
However, all the council’s heritage sites and some of its registration services such as weddings will be closed during the lockdown period, which is currently expected to run from Thursday, November 4 until December 2.
During lockdown the council will continue to offer the following:
All its core services for its most vulnerable older residents, children and young people are running as usual
Maternity hubs remain open at nine children’s centres, enabling midwives to offer appointments away from hospitals
All its core libraries and a number of community hubs across the county will be open, but only for the collection of reserved books (click and collect services) and for residents to use pre-booked public access computers and to use essential digital services. There will be no access for browsing
The Access Library Service will continue to provide no contact deliveries of books to vulnerable housebound rural residents
Lincoln Castle’s grounds will be open daily from 10am-4pm, seven days a week, as a green space for exercise and wellbeing
Tips across the county will be open as usual, but residents must book a time slot here or by calling 01522 782070
Call Connect services will continue to operate for essential journeys
School transport is running as usual
Business Lincolnshire and Trading Standards advisors are here for all Lincolnshire businesses throughout lockdown for advice and guidance
Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue continue to support Lincolnshire businesses with fire safety advice and support
Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue’s community fire safety team are still carrying out Safe & Well visits for those who need it most
The firefighters will again be supporting colleagues at EMAS by driving ambulances if needed and other roles where possible
Help is still available for victims of domestic abuse. Stay at home rules do not apply to those escaping domestic abuse
The council is still helping rural businesses, processing £650k of Leader grants within two weeks
The council’s contractors are continuing to work at the South Lincolnshire Food Enterprise Zone
The council is still responding to planning applications within 21 days, and inspecting construction developments so they can progress
Inquests and funerals will go ahead as usual
Crews are still out repairing and improving the roads across Lincolnshire as usual. People can continue to report concerns online here.
Councillor Martin Hill, leader of Lincolnshire County Council, said: “We know the next few weeks will be tough for so many of our residents, so we’re doing all we can to keep as many of our services open and running normally.
“For us, vital support and services for some of our most vulnerable older residents, children and young people will be the biggest priority, and the vast majority of these are operating without change.
“Some of our other services which we know are a real lifeline in these times – eg. libraries – are operating – just differently.
“Things might change over the coming weeks, but rest assured, we will keep you up to date. Remember, we’re here for you and we will do all we can to support you -your families, your loved ones, your businesses.”
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Extinction Rebellion Lincolnshire have been protesting and campaigning for action on climate change for a number of years, and they’ve had a trusty sidekick with them every step of the way.
Snowy, a unique German Shepherd and chocolate labradoodle crossbreed, was employed by Extinction Rebellion Lincolnshire as a de-escalation and therapy dog in 2018 and has been the talk of the town ever since.
His owner, Ian Rushby, called him “a special dog” that is “completely chilled out and gentle, with a habit of standing on your feet and leaning into you.”
This protesting is tiring work! | Photo: @snowy9796 on Instagram
Born in October 2014 as the largest of five puppies, the six-year-old pooch has been attending Extinction Rebellion protests in Lincolnshire and beyond since the winter of 2018.
Ever since his first protests at Biscathorpe in the Lincolnshire Wolds, Snowy has been there to comfort rebels and be a calming influence during marches in Greater Lincolnshire, Hull, Manchester, Leeds and London.
Snowy is an avid attender of XR protests across the country. | Photo: @snowy9796 on Instagram
“Snowy steps forward and provides a safe, neutral, space where the people involved can find some common ground”, Ian said.
“He has been the starting point of great conversations and friendships across all cultural and demographic boundaries.
“I’ve lost count of the number of people who have been moved to tears, both grief and joy, by having Snowy around.”
Snowy is always eager to help out. | Photo: @snowy9796 on Instagram
He has also apparently defused potentially hostile situations at roadblocks and other protests, and this is due to Snowy “just being himself.”
It hasn’t always been the rebellious life for Snowy though, who has been to a number of countries with his owners since being born, including Morocco, Switzerland, Malta and Italy.
Even a therapy dog needs some me time. | Photo: @snowy9796 on Instagram
He was described as a bit of a celebrity everywhere he went, attracting attention and making an impression on the locals whenever he went out on walks.
Ian said: “Because of his striking looks, friendly and relaxed manner, everyone wants to stroke him, which has created a virtuous circle, of looking even cuter in order to be stroked again!”
Snowy was one of five puppies, and was the only one with white fur. | Photo: @snowy9796 on Instagram
If you want to follow Snowy’s story, you can visit his Instagram page.
The husband of a Lincolnshire carer who died in 2014 after her tuberculosis was repeatedly misdiagnosed, has spoken out publicly about the family’s tragic ordeal for the first time.
Moza Ali Hill, who was born in Zanzibar in Africa and lived in Stow in Lincolnshire, was misdiagnosed for tuberculosis. She was instead treated for suspected Sarcoidosis with immunosuppressants and tragically died in January 2014.
The cause of her death was not formally identified until a coroner carried out a post-mortem examination and established that Mrs Hill had in been suffering from TB.
United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are said to have initially refused to admit fault for several years.
The family only received an apology shortly before the case was due to go to a trial when evidence of clinical negligence was said to have been uncovered. Moza’s husband Victor received a six figure pay out in 2019.
This came after he had contacted Langleys Solicitors in July 2014. Legal proceedings continued for a number of years as the trusts involved allegedly refused to accept that failures in their care had resulted in Mrs Hill’s death.
He recently decided to share his wife’s story publicly to raise awareness that TB can lie dormant for many years.
Victor said: “There is no question that had my wife’s illness been correctly diagnosed and treated when she first started experiencing symptoms, she would still be here today.
“Even when it became clear she was becoming increasingly ill, her doctors continued to treat her for Sarcoidosis. She never complained but it was clear to see that she was going downhill, yet despite her clear risk factors for TB it was never even suggested as a possibility until it was too late.
“My wife worked as a nurse for most of her life, before becoming a carer when she felt that looking after the patients had become secondary to the job. I just wish that the healthcare professionals who treated her had shown her the same level of care and respect that she always showed to others.
“Although nothing will ease the pain of losing her, I’m determined to raise awareness of TB, in the hope that nobody else goes through this needless pain.
“While I was hugely disappointed in the attitude of the trust, the team at Langleys were fantastic throughout. They provided me with so much support at a very difficult time, and when the proceedings finally came to an end it almost felt like saying goodbye to friends.”
Mrs Hill, pictured with one of her two sons Salim Victor.
As Moza was born in Africa, it put her at increased risk of TB and she is said to have had all the textbook symptoms, but respiratory specialists never tested her for it. She had worked as a nurse in a number of countries badly affected by TB, but it was not recognised by doctors that she was at significantly increased risk of infection.
She first visited her GP in January 2012 as she was suffering from an array of relatively mild symptoms typical of TB. This included a persistent cough, joint pain, tiredness and fatigue, and over the following year she lost two stone.
She had enlarged lymph nodes in her throat, abdomen, groin and chest, which can be a sign of TB. Her husband Victor says these symptoms were not fully investigated by Lincoln County Hospital.
After being referred from Lincoln County Hospital to Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, she was wrongly diagnosed with Sarcoidosis.
Sarcoidosis is a rare condition that causes small patches of swollen tissue to develop in the organs of the body. Chronic symptoms can be managed with strong steroid tables that suppress the immune system.
However, as she was battling a serious bacterial infection, this treatment plan led to her decline as her condition gradually worsened after beginning the course of steroids.
Mrs Hill was reluctant to keep taking the drugs as they were making her more ill, but continued to take them on medical advice. Despite this, she continued to work as a carer right before her death as she was dedicated to look after others.
The treatment rapidly worsened the TB and Mrs Hill was admitted to Lincoln County Hospital in December 2013 and then transferred to Northern General Hospital, where she later died.
Moza Ali Hill shortly before her treatment.
A tissue sample taken in March 2011, which had never been sent for culture by Lincoln County Hospital, tested positive for TB as part of later legal proceedings.
It is believed that had this been sent when the biopsy was taken in 2011, Mrs Hill would have been diagnosed, received appropriate treatment and potentially survived.
According to expert evidence, if she had been given appropriate treatment for TB at any point up to and including January 8, 2014 she would have survived. On this date she was advised it was possible she was suffering from TB, but treatment for this condition was not started until January 18, 2014.
Sadly, by this point it was too late to arrest her rapid deterioration and she died in ICU with her husband Victor at her bedside on January 29, 2014.
Andrew Cragg, head of the Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury teams at Langleys Solicitors, said: “This was a clear case of medical negligence: given Mrs Hill’s background, TB should have been ruled out as standard.
“Moza’s death was absolutely devastating for Victor and his children who were devoted to her and so we were very pleased to secure justice for Moza, Victor and their family in highlighting the shortcomings in her treatment. Importantly, this case has also highlighted the urgent need for more education around TB, both within the medical community and the general public.”
Hospital trusts apologise
Dr Neill Hepburn, Medical Director at United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We have offered our sincerest and deepest apologies to the family of Mrs Hill for the failings in her diagnosis and treatment.
“We have also put in place measures and training to ensure that we learn from the errors made in Mrs Hill’s care to prevent this from happening again.”
Dr Jennifer Hill, Medical Director (Operations) at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our teams work exceptionally hard to provide the best possible care to our patients and we are so very sorry that in respect of Mrs Hill’s care in 2013 some of our actions were not as expected.
“We have apologised to Mrs Hill’s family for the shortcomings in the care that we provided and whilst nothing that we can say will take away the pain of their loss, we can assure them that we have taken what happened very seriously in order to learn and make changes where we can, so that the chances of it happening again are minimised.”
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