In the latest of Cardiff Council's regular COVID-19 updates: Rhod Gilbert experiences social care on the frontline; take a trip to the Museum of Cardiff (without leaving home); Dragon's Heart Hospital; and Tŷ Canna Mental Health Outreach Service. 

Rhod Gilbert experiences social care on the frontline

The latest episode of Rhod Gilbert's TV series ‘Work Experience' is airing on BBC One Wales this Friday 17^thApril at 9.30pm and delves into the life of social care workers at a care home and with domiciliary care services in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan.

The show has returned for its eighth series in which Rhod Gilbert attempts various jobs for a limited time to reveal what it's truly like to work in different sectors.

In this episode Rhod learns basic care skills and works alongside colleagues to deliver personal care for individuals, something which he has experience with first hand from caring for his own father. His experience truly conveys the challenges and rewards of a career in care, showing the compassion and commitment shown by social care workers, which is especially poignant at this difficult time.

The residents and staff involved in the programme did a brilliant job and Rhod adds his own inimitable flavour, making it an entertaining but powerful watch.

The airing of this comes at a time where social care workers across Wales are working tirelessly to support vulnerable people within their communities and there is an ongoing appeal for recruitment to bolster the resource for this essential service.

Be sure to tune in and watch.

Take a trip to the Museum of Cardiff (without leaving home)

The Museum of Cardiff might be closed during lockdown but it's still possible to learn from the fascinating stories it holds, by taking a virtual tour of the collection, one object at a time, and downloading free activities exploring the city's past.

A picture of a different object from the collection is being posted to the museum's social media feeds every day, along with its stories. So far the stories have included everything from a 17^thcentury piece of treasure found by metal detectorists in a field in Pentyrch, to a wireless radio that used to belong to a gentleman called Alfred Strange, from Gabalfa, and a clock from what was once Cardiff's oldest photography shop.

Downloadable activities for adult learners and children, developed in conjunction with local school teachers and designed to support key skills, and explore different themes in Cardiff's social history are also available to download, viahttps://cardiffmuseum.com/learning-2/my-museum/

You can read the full story here:

https://www.cardiffnewsroom.co.uk/releases/c25/23638.html

Dragon's Heart Hospital

A big hats off to council staff from planning, highways, building control, waste and economic development who have been working hard behind the scenes to ensure that the Dragon's Heart Hospital is up and running ready for the NHS to use.

Cardiff Council's First Point of Contact Hospital Team which is part of the Independent Living Services, and known as The Pink Army, will also be working at the field hospital. They will work alongside Health and Social Care colleagues, to support a range of patients when they are ready to be discharged from hospital.

In line with planning law, the stadium has now undergone a change to become a temporary hospital.

The Council is carrying out a deep clean in the NCP car park in Westgate Street to ensure that contractors are able to park their vehicles safely. NHS staff will be using the car park at Sophia Gardens with shuttle buses provided by Cardiff Bus so that staff can get to and from the stadium.

A significant amount of work is also being facilitated by the council to ensure that the hospital can operate efficiently and has an adequate supply of oxygen. Council staff have been working on the safe installation of an oxygen tank which will be located on the stadium Plaza, where it will supply the new hospital.

You can read the full story here:

https://www.cardiffnewsroom.co.uk/releases/c25/23636.html

Tŷ Canna Mental Health Outreach Service

The fantastic mental health outreach service, TŷCanna, are playing a vital role in continuing to support people with mental health issues across the city, creating new and innovative ways to engage people they work with and minimise the impact the crisis will have on Cardiff's communities.

The team recently had great success #WorkingTogether with local businesses to source and deliver Easter eggs for families who are part of their ‘Family Project' which supports families where a parent(s) has a mental health need and occasional the children have additional needs. The Co-op in Canton and Pontcanna have really embraced the initiative, with managers and staff offering their support, providing around 40 eggs which have since been distributed to families.

The feedback from the children and parents/carers has been fantastic. One parent said, "Many thanks for thinking about the children, we're really grateful", with one of the children commenting, "I'm so excited - this is my first Easter egg!"

A big thank you to the team at Ty Canna for helping to keep families positive during this difficult time. Keep an eye out for some more stories from the team as they continue to develop new ideas to continue #WorkingForCardiff