Agenda item

The Panel was provided with an update on the Council’s Here2Help response as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. The Assistant Director for Communities reminded the Panel that Here2Help was launched at the onset of the pandemic as a One Worcestershire community action response to support residents.  The service was designed to capture and co-ordinate offers of help from individuals and companies to help meet the demand from those having to self-isolate and/or who had additional needs as a result of the pandemic, which could not be met by family, friends or neighbours.

Originally, the demand on the service was very high, but during the summer as lockdown restrictions eased, plans were put in place to keep the Here2Help service operating at a lower level.  From 1 September, the Customer Service Contact Centre took over responsibility for telephone and case work and there was a period of transition, which included a team of 4 Well-being Advisers being seconded form Community First, bringing specialist knowledge with them. With the second lockdown commencing in early November, demand had sharply risen again with the requests for help in November equalling those received in August, September and October as a whole. The Panel was informed that library staff had been swiftly redeployed again to help with this additional demand. Offers of help from members of the public were still being received. Many volunteers had been utilised to help with food deliveries and to help administer flu clinics in GP surgeries, though some volunteers had yet to be deployed.

The Assistant Director advised that the Here2Help service had proved a valuable learning experience as to how communities and partners could work together to support residents across a range of areas of need. She explained that the experience and knowledge gained would be used to provide a foundation for an  Integrated Health and Well-being Hub Programme. The Hub Programme was to be developed with partners to develop positive outcomes for residents, with regards to their health and well-being needs. Members offered their praise and support for the service and expressed their hope that it could be taken forward in a positive way for the future. The CMR for Communities stressed the crucial importance of working closely with partners. She was currently working with other Cabinet Members in terms of how the service could be taken forward.

Members raised a number of issues as follows:

·           In response to a query regarding a lack of availability of supermarket online delivery slots for vulnerable residents, the Assistant Director advised that it was understood that this issue only related to one supermarket and that reassurance had been obtained that the matter was being resolved.

·           The Assistant Director explained that the Here2Help scheme was a multi-layered structure of partnerships, with offers of help being directed according to where a volunteer was able to offer support. For instance, if a volunteer wanted to work within a particular District Council area, then their details were forwarded to that Council for matching with local volunteering opportunities. If a volunteer was willing to work in different areas, the County team would match them up with suitable opportunities according to need across a wider area.

·           Members suggested that some additional publicity would be helpful to provide guidance to the public and aid their understanding of the set-up and structure of Here2Help and the role of the different partners; what it was able to offer residents as well as what was beyond its remit. It was felt that managing expectations was a crucial aspect to avoid an adverse response from members of the public who might be misguided about what the service offered. The CMR for Communities highlighted that there had been publicity via wraparounds on newspapers, but the Panel felt that much more publicity was required going forward. 

·           The importance of maintaining the momentum created by Here2Help was raised by a Member. Here2Help was a very positive initiative that had offered real support especially for those living on their own, feeling isolated or lonely at such a difficult time and should be built on and developed in the future.

·           The Chairman commented that Here2Help for businesses had also been well used during lockdown and had proved an effective service.

·           A query was raised regarding the arrangements for supporting GP flu clinics. The Assistant Director explained that this had been arranged via the Clinical Commissioning Group which had liaised with GP surgeries directly regarding the deployment of Here2Help volunteers.

The Chairman thanked the Assistant Director for the comprehensive update. The Panel praised the work of the Here2Help service and the joint working with local authority and partner organisations. They fully supported the work to build on the initiative for the benefit of residents going forward.