#HereForSwindon Council extends hand of support to thousands of at-risk residents

More than 3,000 residents deemed most at risk from coronavirus by the NHS will be offered advice and support from Swindon Borough Council.

Published: Wednesday, 8th April 2020

The Council has today (8 April) written to 3,185 residents in the Borough with underlying health conditions setting out what the local authority, the voluntary sector, parishes and the NHS are doing to support them during the coronavirus pandemic.

The residents are among the 1.5m people nationally who have been asked by the Government to ‘shield’, which means isolating at home for 12 weeks to protect themselves from contracting coronavirus.

Council staff have already phoned more than 700 residents over the last few weekends to carry out welfare checks to ensure they have sufficient food and medication and to offer any support.

Over the next few weeks, volunteers from Compassionate Swindon, the Council’s partnership with Voluntary Action Swindon, will take over the welfare checks and the delivery of food and medication to those that need it.

It is the latest in a series of #HereForSwindon support measures provided by the Council during the ongoing public health emergency.

#HereForSwindon features 12 measures ranging from providing council tax relief and emergency household supplies for residents facing hardship from coronavirus through to providing free childcare to key workers over the Easter and May half-term holidays.

Vulnerable residents with health conditions who receive the letter from the Council will be told how they can access emergency food packages and how they can take advantage of special food deliveries from the Council.

Residents who are having difficulty with medication being delivered to their homes are also being asked to contact the Council’s Customer Services team, while the Council is also offering those who are being forced to stay at home if they would like to receive regular phone calls at this difficult time.

Councillor Brian Ford, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Adults and Health, said: “This is an incredibly challenging time for everyone, but more so for those people who are being forced to stay at home for three months to protect themselves from this awful virus.

“It is therefore important we do what we can to make sure they are safe and have everything that they need. But we also need to tell them that we are here for them and they are not alone.

“I would like to personally thank the 67 council staff who gave up their spare time over the last few weekends to call more than 700 people who have been identified by the NHS as being particularly vulnerable to coronavirus.

“I know from the feedback they received that those calls were very much appreciated and I will be joining our army of volunteers who will be on hand to take over that mantle over the coming weeks.”

Vulnerable residents who require emergency help can call the Council’s Customer Services team on 01793 445500 or visit swindon.gov.uk/emergencyhelp.

Further information on the Council’s #HereForSwindon support measures is available at.swindon.gov.uk/HereForSwindon.

Swindon Borough Council news RSS feed