Snow Alert: Council/Health/Public Services: Friday 8th (Update 7)

Last update: 4:08pm Friday

More details about other public services to follow as we receive them. As with yesterday, keep reloading the page to find out the latest.


Jump to Rubbish Collection; Dental appointments; Libraries; Leisure Centres; Other council services; Health services

Dental appointments
No update from NHS as yet

If you need to see a dentist urgently, please contact the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Dental Helpline on 0845 050 8345.

Rubbish collection
Home refuse collection has been cancelled until Monday, when (weather permitting) normal services will resume.

Lynbottom is open – however residents are asked to only use the site if absolutely necessary. Regular reviews of the conditions and situation will be carried out and site may be closed.

Afton Road Civic Amenity Site – Open on Saturday – Site is operating on a limited capacity and will close once full capacity is reached

Forest Road Civic Amenity Site – closed on Saturday

Libraries
Ryde Library Open today and Saturday until 1pm
Lord Louis Library, Newport open today and Saturday until 1pm
Cowes Open Saturday Until 1pm
Freshwater Open Saturday Until 1pm
Sandown Open Saturday Until 1pm
Bembridge Open Saturday Until 1pm
East Cowes Open Saturday Until 1pm
Shanklin Open Saturday Until 1pm
Ventnor Open Saturday Until 1pm
Niton Closed
Brighstone Closed

Leisure Centres
The Heights Leisure Centre – Open until 3’30pm – Open 9 – 4 Saturday – Car park very slippery

Medina Leisure Centre/Theatre – Open ’til 3pm today
Open 9 – 5 Saturday

Lauren Ellingham says, “Anyone wanting to use the centre is being advised to park on Fairlee road due to bad conditions in car parks.”

Waterside Pool – Open ’til 3’30pm – Open 1130 – 4pm Saturday

Westridge Leisure Centre – Closed – Also closed Saturday

IW Music Centre
Closed on Saturday 9th due to adverse weather

Other council services
Ventnor Botanic Garden
Dinosaur Isle Museum
Museum of Island History (Newport Guildhall)
Ryde and Shanklin Theatres closed Friday and Saturday

Isle of Wight Crematorium – Open
Very limited access. Customers are advised to contact their funeral director before any service. Crematorium can be called on 883010

Job Centres
Open only for urgent appointments

Social Services Centres – Open
Newport Social Service Centre (823340) Open
Cowes Social Service Centre (291144) Open
Sandown Social Service Centre (408448) Open
Ryde Social Service Centre (566011) Open

Ventnor Revenue and Benefits Office (Temporary Office set up in Coastal Centre) Open
Special office set up in Ventnor for residents. Open until 4pm. Customers can discuss council tax and benefit claims.

Housing Benefit Payments
Please could all Benefit claimants and Landlords note that whilst the Cheque payments for Housing Benefit have been collected from the Benefit Office by Royal Mail, due to the adverse weather disruptions this is continuing to affect Royal Mail postal deliveries service.

As a result there may be a delay in Housing Benefit Cheque payments reaching their delivery destination by Monday 11 January 2010.

This disruption only affects those people who receive postal cheque payments. For those people who are paid by BACS, the payments will be in their bank account on Monday 11 January 2010 as normal.

People may want to consider switching to BACS payments in the future, this will mean that you will receive your payments direct into your bank account and the funds are cleared immediately. Unfortunately Share Saver Accounts cannot be used for this method of payment.

Island Help Centres
Freshwater Help Centre – Closed
Newport Help Centre – Open until 4.30pm
Ryde Help Centre – Closed
Sandown Help Centre – Open until 4.30pm
Wootton Help Centre – Closed
Pan Community Wardens – Limited welfare service on Saturday and Sunday 10 – 2pm for emergency supplies

Homelessness
The Isle of Wight Council has opened up Newport Youth Centre to People Off The Streets, a local homelessness charity, to provide a shelter for those who may be sleeping rough during this period of extreme weather.

Health and Hospital
Latest from IW NHS Team 12.16
Here at St. Mary’s the position is:

All GP surgeries are open

· All Outpatients Cancelled until the end of Monday – however some patients will get calls advising them that they need to be seen and how that happens will be discussed with them.

· All elective (scheduled) surgery has been cancelled (Wednesday, Thursday and today Friday) – again patients are being contacted direct about that.

· Emergency Surgery continues as needed.

· The ambulance service have got all their staff in and they are out and about dealing with calls as received but we would still ask Islanders to only call 999 if it’s a life threatening issue.

· Most pharmacies are open, as they have been the last couple of days.

· The Emergency Department at St. Mary’s is busy. They dealt with a large number of fractures yesterday when people came a cropper out sledging or falling over on the ice.

Please think twice before calling 999 and where possible use NHS Direct on 0845 46 47 for telephone advice or log on to the NHS Choices website www.nhs.uk.