Bracknell Forest Community Response, an update on what has been achieved so far
The Bracknell Forest Community Response launched in March to support vulnerable residents and those who are self-isolating or shielding during the coronavirus pandemic.
Since then, the scheme, which is a partnership between Bracknell Forest Council, Healthwatch Bracknell Forest and Involve Community Services, supported by town and parish councils, has received more than 1,800 responses from local people who have signed up to help the community.
More than 400 of these people have been identified as longer-term volunteers for their community with Involve Community Services.
We wanted to provide you with an update on what has been achieved since the response launched.
• 1,488 people have registered as extremely vulnerable on GOV.UK, meaning they have a medical condition which puts them at increased risk of coronavirus and are therefore shielding.
• 498 of these people have stated they cannot access essential supplies so need support with this.
|
How we're helping
• 45 emergency food packages were packed by council staff and delivered by community volunteers to those shielding on 29 March.
• Bracknell Foodbank has provided 348 food parcels to families and individuals in the past month.
• More than 1,000 residents who are shielding have been called directly by Bracknell Forest Council to ensure we are providing them with the right help for their current situation.
• Support provided has included food and prescription deliveries organised by Healthwatch; signposting to other services to help with food parcels, foodbank, prescriptions, online shopping, registration, buddy systems and welfare checks.
• Healthwatch has received 10,403 calls from residents looking for support or advice and made 2,788 outgoing calls to residents to check how they’re getting on.
• Volunteers and Healthwatch staff have completed 884 tasks including deliveries of food and prescriptions.
• 92 households are currently receiving ongoing Involve support services:
71 of these require regular food shops, 24 require prescription support and 13 telephone buddying.
• Volunteers have offered 380 hours of their time to local people via the Involve Community Services buddying scheme since the response was set up.
 Keep up to date
- Information about the Bracknell Forest Community Response and the support available for vulnerable residents is available on the Bracknell Forest Council website.
- For more information about how the Bracknell Forest Community Response can help residents, please visit the Healthwatch website.
- Involve provides support during COVID-19, including support tailored for charities and volunteers.
- The Bracknell Forest Safeguarding Board is compiling regular updates on key information and resources relating to safeguarding issues during the coronavirus pandemic. The newsletter can be viewed and subscribed to by following the details on the Bracknell Forest Safeguarding Board website and further updates are available on the Bracknell Forest Safeguarding Board Facebook and Twitter pages.
|
