Coronavirus: Thursday’s Local Updates

Market Harborough’s Urgent Care Centre has been closed because of the Coronavirus outbreak.

Local NHS bosses say there has been a big drop in the number of people using the out-of-hours service at the St Luke’s Treatment Centre in the past couple of weeks.

It’s been temporarily shut, together with some others across the county, to make best use of clinical teams and reduce the spread of the virus.

The Minor Injury Unit at the St Luke’s Treatment Centre remains open between 8:30am & 6:30pm Monday to Friday.

The Urgent Care Centre in Oadby will also remain open and GP practice, pharmacy and NHS111 online and telephone services will be available as normal.

Harborough Council is contacting all businesses it believes is eligible for the government’s Small Business Grant Fund to help them at this current time.

The authority is administering payments and has now been given the go-ahead to start distributing cash.

It says it’s a big task but staff are working as hard as possible to get funding to firms as quickly as possible.

Some of the items donated

A nurse from Kibworth who had been coordinating appeals for well-being items on behalf of colleagues at Leicester’s Hospitals is thanking all who are donating.

Kelly Noon has taken on the role as she has to self-isolate for 12 weeks.

Shops in Market Harborough have given toiletries including things like handcream for staff working in the Intensive Care Units, along with snacks and other items.  Kelly spoke to Hfm:

Meanwhile, local schools have answered a call from Leicester’s Hospital’s for donations of Personal Protective Equipment.

Both Robert Smyth and Welland Park Academies in Market Harborough and The Kibworth School have provided goggles, gloves, aprons and hand sanitiser from their science departments to be used on the front line.

Goggles donated by Robert Smyth Academy

Equipment from Robert Smyth Academy being delivered to Leicester’s Hospitals