IN THE
NEWS...IN THE NEWS..
WELSH TAXI DRIVER DENIED A £500 GRANT AFTER BEING TOLD TO ISOLATE BY THE NHS PHONE APP
A Welsh taxi driver was denied a £500 grant after being told to isolate by the NHS phone app, has said it was a “kick in the teeth.” BBC Wales report that In Wales, the self-isolation support scheme for low- earners is still not available to people who are notified by the app. Taxi driver David Miller lost ten days of work by isolating and had no grant. The Welsh Government said it was working with councils to “identify what other alternatives, including manual solutions, can be put in place.” The self-isolation support scheme is intended to help with loss of earnings for those told to self-isolate who can- not work from home. Also eligible are parents and carers on low incomes with children who are
self-isolating. In December it was reported that the NHS Track and Trace app for Wales and England had been updated to allow people notified that they must isolate to claim the £500.
Yestech HPH Correct.qxp_Layout 1 29/09/2020 16:55 Page 1
But while users in England notified by the app can claim the payments after going through an identity-verification process, people in Wales cannot. Mr Miller, from Pembroke, received a notification on the NHS app on Boxing Day telling him to self-isolate for ten- days. As a recipient of housing benefit he should have been able to claim the £500 grant to offset his loss of earn- ings. But when he applied via his local authority he was told they could not pay him.
It was a kick in the teeth really. I’ve had no help financially from the govern- ment since the pandemic started. “They ask you to self-isolate to protect others and then you get no financial support so you have got to make a choice of shall I go out and put people at risk because I need to pay my bills or should I struggle financially and stay home?
“My choice is listen to the app, stay at home, self- isolate.”
But Mr Miller thinks without the finan- cial support, others are not making the same choice. “I have a lot of friends in the taxi trade who wouldn’t download the app because of that. I know people will not adhere to it, I know that for a fact because I’ve spoken to them. “They can’t do it financially.”
Private hire and taxi industry specialists oIP TELECOM SOLUTIONS
Vo
Switching despatch systems? Ta y
Unlimited lines -Yo
Take our phone system with
you. The only fully featured cloud-based telephone service that integr ates with every despatch management system.
Your phone numbers will never be engaged – no matter how many passengers are calling you.
Connect phones directly to our system via the internet - no SIP trunk
one supplier for all your phone system requirements. s, no hardware maintenance contracts - pay just
ks
even abroad.
C
0800 524 4293 all us now for a quote
16 FEBRUARY 2021
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102
