We’re calling thousands of the district’s most vulnerable people
Published: Thursday, 9 April, 2020
Every one of Stroud District’s most in-need residents is being called by specially-trained council workers, to ensure that everybody who needs help during the Coronavirus pandemic receives it.
Staff from other council services have been drafted in to Stroud District Council’s recently established Community Response Cell to make the calls to around 11,000 people identified as vulnerable.
Those residents are being connected with the services they may need, including help with shopping and medicine, and health and social care.
The Community Response Cell has called on the skills of staff from across the council who are experienced in helping members of the public. Most of them are working from home, in accordance with Government guidance.
“We have said from the start of this very difficult period that no-one will be left behind, which is why we have put experienced call handlers in place,” said SDC Leader Doina Cornell. “We are making several hundred of these calls every day, but it’s the quality of them which counts – we want to make sure no-one is overlooked.”
If our calls to a vulnerable resident go unanswered one of our team will make a personal visit to their door, observing spacing requirements, to check that the resident has all the information they need to get help from their local support group.
To protect people from fraudsters, when we call we will not ask for any personal details or bank details, nor take any payments. We will simply check that residents are well and get help and support for them if they need it.
For more Stroud District Council updates on how we are supporting residents, businesses and the community through the Coronavirus pandemic, please visit www.stroud.gov.uk/coronavirus or call 01453 766321, or visit our Facebook page www.facebook.com/strouddistrictcouncil or Twitter account @StroudDC