If you have not yet had a vaccination, residents can:

• Book an appointment online at www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination [6]. If you can’t access the NHS website, please call 119 for free.
• Use a local GP service: GP practices are working together across Hart to vaccinate as many people as possible. Residents may be contacted by a different surgery to the one they usually go to.
• Grab a jab: Details of walk-in vaccination centres available in the area are published on the Frimley Health and Care website [7]. This page is regularly updated with new dates and centres.

Frimley Health and Care Clinical Care Commissioning Group [8] has regular updates on the vaccination roll-out and there is a list of useful vaccination FAQs [9].

NHS COVID Pass scam

Fraudsters, posing as NHS employees, are offering phony NHS COVID Passes in exchange for a fee. The scammers have sent emails with links that redirect you to a fake but convincing ‘NHS’ website that asks you to apply for your ‘digital coronavirus passport’ using your personal and payment details. The NHS will never contact you to ask for payment details to obtain the NHS COVID Pass. You can view your double vaccination status freely on the NHS app or apply for an NHS COVID Pass free of charge online.

More information about the pass is available on the NHS [10]and gov.uk [11] websites.    

People on low incomes who need to self-isolate and are unable to work from home can apply for a Test and Trace Support Payment.

Anyone told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace, and who meet the relevant eligibility criteria, can claim. Please visit the Test and Trace Support Payments page [12] for more information or email hart.benefits@secure.capita.co.uk [13] putting Test and Trace query in the subject line.

Lateral flow tests are rapid COVID-19 tests for people who do not have coronavirus symptoms.

One in three people can have the virus without showing any symptoms and so continuing to test regularly can help keep you and others around you safe.

People are encouraged to take these tests twice a week, even if they have had the vaccine. The tests are easy to use and can give results in 30 minutes.  

How to get your free testing kits

Pharmacies Collect 
Free rapid lateral flow tests to use at home are available to Hart residents through the ‘Pharmacy Collect’ service.

The service is available to people aged over 18 without symptoms, who are able to visit a participating local pharmacy and collect a box of seven rapid tests to use twice a week at home. 

Residents can use an online checker [14] to find their nearest pharmacy offering free, rapid test kits.

Online ordering
Testing kits can also be ordered via the Government's online lateral flow test service [15].

There are a number of sites that residents can visit to find out more about coronavirus case rates and vaccination statistics, both nationally and within Hart:

• Gov.uk [16]
• The Local Government Association’s LG Inform for case tracking [17] and vaccination rates [18]
• The BBC website [19] which provides data for Hart
• Hampshire County Council’s data dashboard [20]

If coronavirus has had an impact on you or any aspect of your life, including anyone who is self-isolating, please call the helpline for advice and support.

The Hampshire Coronavirus Support and Helpline can be contacted on 0333 370 4000. (calls charged at local rate.) Or you can request a call-back from the helpline by completing the call-back request form [21].

The helpline is open:    

• Monday to Friday: 9am to 5pm
• Saturdays and Sundays: 10am to 3pm.

The service can signpost you to information, advice and relevant services to support you with a range of issues, including:

• Where to find help in your community
• Debt and money worries
• Mental health support
• Bereavement
• Practical help if you are self-isolating, such as collecting essential supplies

Hart District Council, in partnership with Hart Voluntary Action, has created the Hart Response Hub - HRH. The Hampshire Coronavirus and Support Line matches those requiring assistance with the most appropriate support network, which may be a referral to the HRH. HRH staff will assess the referrals received from the Hampshire Coronavirus and Support Line before offering the relevant support, which may include allocating them to the respective town or parish volunteers.

The Local Welfare Provision Hardship service is a financial assistance scheme to help people who are in a crisis or emergency situation and where low-level financial assistance would help prevent the crisis or emergency from escalating.

There is no statutory right to a grant and all awards are discretionary. 

If people need help with food, we may be able to provide a voucher for a food parcel from a local foodbank. It is unlikely cash awards will be given direct to applicants and payments will be in the form of electronic gift vouchers or payments direct to suppliers.

Who can apply?

To apply, a resident must be at least 18 years old and

• Be a current resident of Hart District, or have been housed out of the area by Hart’s Housing Services team within the past six months
• Not have savings that can be relied upon to meet your needs
• Not be excluded from applying for public funds on the basis of immigration status
• Not have received a Local Welfare Provision award in the past three weeks, unless they can demonstrate significant exceptional need
• Not have been refused a Local Welfare Provision award for the same need in the past two weeks, unless they can demonstrate exceptional circumstances
• Be without sufficient resources which would in turn cause serious risk to your own, or your family’s health or safety or well-being
• Not be eligible to receive or have received assistance for the requested funding or support from other public funds

or

• They need essential help with an emergency  - e.g. illness/emergency travel costs

Residents may need to provide documents to support their application. This would include items such as identification, proof of address, proof of savings, income and any benefits received. We are likely to need this information for all the adults within the household.

How to apply

Applications should be by email at hardship@hart.gov.uk [22] or if this isn’t possible then by phone on 01252 774238.

The email address and phone line are monitored five days a week, excluding Public Holidays, between 9am and 4.30pm. Outside of these hours a message can be left and a response will be given next working day.

This grants programme has been launched by Hart District Council, in partnership with Hart Voluntary Action. 

Aim of the fund 

The pandemic has led to an increase in social isolation and loneliness, particularly for people within the Clinically Extremely Vulnerable or Clinically Vulnerable groups (both adults and children). National evidence also indicates that disabled people, whether or not they have ‘underlying health conditions’ that place them at higher risk of COVID-19, are more likely to report that restrictions have had greater impact on their lives than non-disabled people.  

We are inviting voluntary and community organisations, and parish and town councils, to submit ideas for projects which enable Hart residents in these groups to:  

• connect with others and rebuild or create new community connections  
• regain their confidence and independence  
• improve their physical or mental wellbeing  

A project could cover a wider area but you will need to tell us how many Hart residents you expect to benefit and the amount you apply for should reflect this as a proportion of the total project cost. 

Funding and support available 

Practical support to help you develop your idea such as promotion, networking with local organisations, help identifying venues if in-person delivery is part of the project, support to identify match funding.  

A grant of up to £2,500 (please tell us the least amount of funding you need in order to help us make funds go as far as possible) 

Applications will be invited for as long as there is funding available.  

Who can apply to the fund? 

Voluntary and community sector organisations and parish and town Councils. We cannot fund applications from individuals or commercial organisations.

We CAN fund: 

• Projects which enable existing initiatives/services to reach more beneficiaries 
• Projects/initiatives which exist in other areas and funding would enable expansion into Hart district 
• New initiatives which respond to emerging need  
• Project running costs including salaries but only those that relate to direct delivery of the project 
• Small capital costs providing the capital item will address the priorities of the fund (please note that receipts will be required for capital items that have been purchased).  

We CANNOT fund: 

• Projects which relate solely to religious purposes
• Activities that are part of the usual support provided by the organisation unless funding would enable the project to reach more beneficiaries or the activity is not currently offered in Hart and the funding would enable expansion into Hart
• Loss of income 
• We cannot provide retrospective funding for projects which have already been delivered 
• Large capital items 
• Political activities or lobby groups 
• Organisations applying on behalf of a third party 
• Organisations which have already received grant funding from Hart District Council for the same project, in the same financial year  
• Support delivered by a national charity where there is no local branch.  

How to apply

Ensure that your project idea meets the aims and criteria of the scheme 

Get in touch to tell us about your idea at covid19help@hartvolaction.org.uk [23]. Please provide the following information: 

• The name of your group or organisation
• A brief overview of your project idea
• Whether this would be a new project, or a continuation or expansion of an existing project.  
• If it is a new initiative, please provide an estimate of when the project would be established by
• An estimate of numbers the project would support. 

A member of the team will contact you to discuss your project further including what support you are looking for. If the team feels the project would meet the aims and remit of the programme, it will invite you to submit an application form. 

For full details of all business grants and funding support, visit our Grants & Funding page [24]

Please contact BusinessGrants@hart.gov.uk [25] with any queries.

If you would like to receive business news and updates, please sign for our electronic Hart for Business newsletter [26].