Articles in Our Work

Articles in Covid-19

1 in 129 people in England likely now infected. Covid levels currently plateauing High risk of meeting someone with Covid. This is our 200th Covid Risk Assessment!

Covid-19 Risk Assessment: Week Ending 3 November 2024

Ben Clark

The current wave of Covid in England is plateauing, but the risk of meeting an infected person in your everyday life remains High. Covid infection levels in England have fallen to around 1 in 129 people in England infected as of 3 November. We are still predicting a Christmas and New Year infection peak, as we have seen in every year since 2020.

This is BuDS’ 200th Covid risk assessment since the beginning of the pandemic. Our first risk assessment was issued on 6 July 2020, and we have released one nearly every week ever since. A minimum of 10,000 people use our information every week, and we often reach well over 100,000 people. We’ve never received any specific funding for any of this work, and it has all been carried out by a very small and very dedicated volunteer team. To safeguard our work for the future, we are raising funds to continue and develop our Covid information project for 2025 and beyond. If you are able to contribute, please visit https://www.peoplesfundraising.com/fundraising/buds-covid-info.

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A man and a woman stand at either end of a two-metre long blue banner, outside the wall of a pub with the words "The Dinton Hermit" painted on it

Fair4All Card Decision Makers

Ben Clark

Could you help disabled people live more independently? Have you experience of making evidence-based decisions, e.g. as a case worker or regulator? BuDS is recruiting Fair4All Card Decision Makers.

Fair4All Card Decision Makers are volunteers who help BuDS to decide whether someone is entitled to a Fair4All Card. The Fair4All Card is a secure photocard issued only to disabled people which confirms that the holder is a disabled person in law, and lists “reasonable adjustments” that they are entitled to in their everyday lives. Card holders show the Card to retailers, service providers, and others they meet when they need to. The Card is an important aid for disabled people to live independently as it helps them get the support they are legally entitled to receive.

The front of a sample BuDS Fair4All Card. At the top left is the blue and yellow BuDS Fair4All logo. At the top centre is the text "Issued and verified by Buckinghamshire Disability Service (BuDS)". In the centre and left of the card is the text "The card holder is a disabled person under the Equality Act 2010 and is legally entitled to reasonable adjustments for their disability". On the right hand side of the card is the image of the card holder, with their name and card number below it.
The back of a sample Fair4All Card. At the top is the statement: "The card holder is legally entitled to reasonable adjustments. Please accept that they:". This is followed by a list of sample reasonable adjustments, including "may need alternative communication methods in place of lip reading". At the bottom left is a disclaimer stating that the card is the property of BuDS, and at the bottom right is the blue and yellow oval BuDS logo.
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