Teams of trained vaccinators will start to vaccinate patients against coronavirus at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and Peterborough City Hospital from this week at the start of the biggest immunisation programme in history.

People aged 80 and over as well as care home workers will be first to receive the jab, along with NHS workers who are at higher risk.

A dedicated team has been working through the weekend to prepare for the launch of the programme, with the first vaccinations happening later this week.

Addenbrooke’s and Peterborough City Hospitals are among the fifty hospital hubs in the first wave, and more hospitals will start vaccinating over the coming weeks and months.

The NHS will start calling up people who fall into the priority groups to book appointments. Over the coming weeks they will be extending deliveries to local vaccination services, and hope that later this month the regulators will allow batches to be split, so that vaccination teams can go into care homes to vaccinate those who can’t go to other services.

The message from the NHS is:

1. They will contact you when it’s the right time to come forward, so please don’t contact the NHS to seek a vaccine before then;
2. Please act on your invitation when it comes, and make sure you attend your appointments when you arrange them;
3. And of course, please continue to abide by all the social distancing, wearing of face masks and hand hygiene guidance, which will still save lives.

You can find out more about the COVID-19 vaccination here: https://www.cambridgeshireandpeterboroughccg.nhs.uk/news-and-events/latest-news/covid-19-national-vaccination-programme/

The following planning applications in the Sutton division have been published by East Cambridgeshire District Council.

20/01593/FUL
Coveney
Wolvey House Wentworth Road Coveney
Residential annex and garage.

20/01572/FUL
Little Downham
1A Pond Lane Little Downham CB6 2TW
Replace existing windows and doors with uPVC material.

20/01603/FUL
Little Downham
27 Main Street Pymoor CB6 2ED
First floor extension to rear.

20/01330/FUL
Mepal
Bedford House 14 Bridge Road Mepal
Proposed four bed, two storey dwelling to replace existing dwelling.

20/01611/FUL
Sutton
Meadlands Farm The Gault Sutton CB6 2BJ
Replacement dwelling.

Further information can be found on the district council’s planning pages. If you would like to respond formally to the council about any planning application, comments should be addressed to the district council and not to me.  Comments may be made

• online using the council’s public access web page (the link above);
• by email to plservices@eastcambs.gov.uk;
• or by post to the Planning Department, The Grange, Nutholt Lane, Ely, CB7 4EE.

This year, due to Covid-19, many of us will need extra help to keep warm and healthy. Spending more time at home with a higher demand for energy and increased heating costs, more of us could be drawn into fuel poverty.

Grants, benefits and advice are available to make your home more energy efficient, improve your heating, or help with bills. Visit www.simpleenergyadvice.org.uk and www.gov.uk/browse/benefits/heating for further information.

The Public Health Team in Cambridgeshire has put together the Stay Well this Winter website, which contains a wealth of information for local support, free resources, financial aid, and key contacts. 

Here are some of the highlights:

• Local Energy Advice Partnership (LEAP)
• Making Money Count – Help in a Crisis
• National Energy Action’s Warm and Safe Home Advice Service
• Anglian Water Extra Care Support

Cambridge University Hospital has an ambitious strategy for redevelopment of the Addenbrooke’s site in the coming years, the County Council’s Health Committee has heard.

The three-stage plan includes

• short-term improvements to the Emergency Department and ‘surge centre’ capacity to address current pressures
• a new Children’s Hospital and a Cancer Research Hospital by 2025-26, for which the Government has already committed some of the funding
• further developments from 2025.

We were told that the UK’s cancer outcomes were comparing poorly with other countries, and that part of this was down to the need for people to get medical help sooner. One-third of people with lung cancer currently present to health services as emergencies, rather than in a planned way earlier on.

I asked about the rise in online and virtual consultations since the arrival of COVID, pointing out that while these were popular with some patients they were more challenging for others. We were told by senior oncologist Hugo Ford that currently 35 per cent of consultations are virtual, against a Government target of 25 per cent. There was agreement that we must be careful to ensure this does not result in a large number of patients being disadvantaged and cut off from health care.

I also asked about CUH’s plans for environmental sustainability and decarbonisation on the planned improved campus, and was told there was a sustainability plan in place working towards being ‘net carbon zero enabled’. I’m sure that after the immediate crises of the pandemic are over this is something we will want to return to.

PlayStation: Desperate to get your hands on a PS5 for Christmas? Sold out in all major retailers, it’s being used to trick customers out of their hard earned cash. Scammers are listing a photo, or an empty box, to mislead buyers into parting with up to £550. The description ‘photo’ or ‘box only’ is buried in the small print. The same trick is also likely to be played with other high value items listed for sale. Please read the description carefully before committing your cash.

Bank smishing scams: smishing is phishing by SMS to your mobile phone. You get what looks like a text message from a bank saying a new device has been paired with your bank account. The aim is to trick you into clicking on the link and giving away your bank details to the fraudster. Please be alert.

Royal Mail or courier scam: beware of emails and texts that ask you to pay money to rearrange delivery of a parcel or item of mail. The message looks as if it’s from Royal Mail or a well-known courier company, but it will ask you for your card details to process a small fee to receive the (fictitious) item. The scammers can them access your account. Remember you will never be asked to pay a redelivery fee by Royal Mail or any legitimate courier. Just because their logo is on the message doesn’t mean it’s genuine. And never input your bank or card details after following a link in any email or text claiming to be from Royal Mail or a courier, because your card details will be stolen by criminals.

Follow Cambridgeshire And Peterborough Against Scams Partnership on Twitter| Facebook|Cambridgeshire.gov.uk/against-scams

Stay Well this Winter is NHS England’s annual winter campaign that aims to reduce the negative impacts of cold temperatures and winter weather on our health and wellbeing.

Winter conditions can be bad for our health, especially for people aged 65 or over and people with long-term conditions. Being cold increases the risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes. It could also suppress our immune system, lung capacity, and ability to fight off infection.

There are things we can do to stay well in winter:

1. Heat our home to at least 18°C (65°F).
2. Keep the bedroom window closed on winter nights, as breathing cold air can increase the risk of chest infections.
3. Stay active when we are indoors and try not to sit still for more than an hour or so.
4. Get the flu vaccination – ask your pharmacist or GP if you are eligible for the free flu jab.
5. If you feel unwell, don’t wait for symptoms to get worse – you can consult your local pharmacy first.
6. If you are worried about your health, visit the NHS Website, call NHS111, or in an emergency call 999.
7. Look out for other people who may need a bit of extra help over the winter.

For more advice on keeping warm and well, you can find the leaflets by Public Health England and by Age UK here.

Cambridgeshire County Council has received a waste and minerals planning application from PJ Lee & Sons to extend their crop irrigation complex at Sutton Gault.

The application is for the construction of irrigation reservoirs by the extraction and export of sand and gravel; silt lagoons; mineral processing plant; weighbridge; temporary buildings and use of existing access onto the A142 Chatteris Road between the Mepal Outdoor Centre and Hiams Bridge.

Comments can be made on the application until Saturday 9 January.

Copies of all the application documentation can be viewed online at http://planning.cambridgeshire.gov.uk by entering the relevant application reference number (CCC/20/052/FUL) and registering to submit your comments online. Alternatively, you can send an email to planningdc@cambridgeshire.gov.uk or send your comments to the County Council in writing at Box No SH1315, Shire Hall, Castle Hill, Cambridge CB3 0AP.

Cambridgeshire County Council has made two Orders to record the widths of Dunham’s Lane and Granny’s End Road in Witchford.

The Orders have been made at the request of Witchford Parish Council and will be available to view online at https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/libraries-leisure-culture/arts-green-spaces-activities/definitive-map-and-statement-orders

They will also be advertised for a period of six weeks by means of an advertisement in the Ely Standard tomorrow (3 December). Notices will be put up on site and also at Ely Library, and copies of the Orders sent to the applicant, landowner(s), statutory undertakers, and interested user groups.

Anyone may make a representation about, or objection to, the Orders during those six weeks, in writing, to HighwaysAssetManagement@Cambridgeshire.gov.uk before 14 January 2021 and should include the reasons for making an objection or representation.

Cambridgeshire’s new local contact tracing service is successfully tracing more than 80 per cent of the cases passed to it.

Since 19 November, when the countywide tracing service launched in Cambridgeshire, 280 cases have been passed to it, with 83 per cent of those cases completed.

Cambridgeshire County Council, Peterborough City Council, and the five district and city councils in Cambridgeshire are all working to close the gaps in the national Test and Trace programme operated by SERCO, contacting people who have tested positive for COVID and giving them help, advice and support to self-isolate.

The following planning applications in the Sutton division have been published by East Cambridgeshire District Council.

20/01549/FUL
Little Downham
32 Matthew Wren Close Little Downham CB6 2UL
Two storey front extension with internal & external alterations.

20/01561/ARN
Little Downham
Head Fen Farm Head Fen Pymoor
Change of use of agricultural building to provide dwelling.

20/01565/FUL
Sutton
26 Sutton Court Sutton CB6 2RJ
Proposed single storey rear extension, front porch alteration, and internal alterations.

20/01548/FUL
Witcham
Stairfree Bury Road Witcham
Rear extension.

Further information can be found on the district council’s planning pages. If you would like to respond formally to the council about any planning application, comments should be addressed to the district council and not to me.  Comments may be made

• online using the council’s public access web page (the link above);
• by email to plservices@eastcambs.gov.uk;
• or by post to the Planning Department, The Grange, Nutholt Lane, Ely, CB7 4EE.