Summary
When lockdown was imposed, the Area Teams were immediately assigned to establish a virtual Community Hub in each area. Referrals began coming in from the GP Alliance and other partners, particularly to support those residents who were told to shield. Council staff and volunteers telephoned all residents who were on the shielded list, and if they didn’t answer, someone went to knock on their door. They instigated an immediate campaign to recruit volunteers, with 120,000 leaflets dropped into houses within a fortnight of lockdown, asking for volunteers and offering help if it was needed. Within weeks 1,000 new volunteers had been recruited. The peak of demand for help increased on the Easter Bank Holiday weekend and everyone pitched in, the whole Community Resilience team got involved with shopping and delivering food parcels for residents in need.
Website: https://www.sunderland.gov.uk/article/17325/Need-support-or-want-to-help-
Key facts
Main target group: Older people with chronic health conditions or disability
Other target group(s): people on the shielded list
Sector(s): Health
Other sector(s): volunteer recruitment
Desired outcome for older people:
Build and maintain relationships
- Dementia
- Inclusion
- Participation