Strategic Migration Partnership/Home Office weekly meeting key points – Thursday 11th Feb 2021:

via Ally, VCS Rep

• Vaccinations and COVID– communications from Home Office regarding work on this area are being developed and will be circulated shortly. Home Office also working with providers to develop communications for service users to ensure access to the most up to date information on vaccines, priority groups, new variants, COVID compliance etc.
• Intake and accommodation occupancy – asylum intake remains steady. There is a slight decrease in the asylum-supported population. There has been a decrease in the number housed in hotels and an increase in dispersal accommodation over the past week.
• Hotels – Home Office actively monitoring the length of stay in hotels. Priority order of moves out of hotels is:
  • 1. Families with school age children
  • 2. Women.
  • 3. Vulnerable circumstances. Followed by
  • 4. long stays and in date order.
• Food – in response to issues raised about food in hotels – meals should be meet the NHS Eat Well Standard Mears have employed dieticians to ensure meals meet standards and cater for cultural and dietary needs. If not the case, issues should be reported back to providers.