Orkney Health and Care has issued a rallying call to relatives of users of the Care at Home Service appealing for their help to keep some of Orkney’s most vulnerable folk safe over the festive period.

There is a national shortage of care workers, agency staff who have been bolstering the local teams are heading home for Christmas and New Year and now, additional precautions regarding the new COVID-19 variant Omicron are likely to impact on Home Care staffing levels further.

Class teachers continue to provide work online using the Seesaw tool and, in addition, pupils from the closed P4 class have been sent a pack of activities. Given the small, but continual, increase in positive lateral flow test results among the pupils of the closed P4 class it has been decided to keep the P4 class closed for the remainder of term. This means that the P4 class will not reopen now until after the festive holiday break. However, any parents with an urgent need for childcare on Monday and Tuesday next week and who are COVID-19 free, are asked to contact the school’s Head Teacher, Mark Taylor, directly via his school glow email. Mr Taylor will respond ahead of Monday.

Orkney Islands Council is launching a free training and support programme aimed at encouraging up to ten individuals to become new professional childminders, in a bid to help address childcare shortages in the county.

The closing date for 16 jobs with the Council's Early Learning and Childcare team has been extended to early January - if you love seeing peedie people learn new things and are interested in child development, read on!

Local people are being urged to help protect front line services by heeding Scottish Government advice aimed at curbing COVID-19 transmission in the community, including minimising social contacts.