A new service has launched to provide support and welfare checks to vulnerable residents who have been discharged from hospital.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council has commissioned Revival to deliver an expanded rapid hospital discharge taxi meet and greet service. It means that Revival, which is part of the Honeycomb Group, is providing a service for city residents discharged from Royal Stoke Hospital, Haywood Community Hospital and other Clinical Commissioning Group beds. It is working alongside the council’s adult social care teams.
Council leader Abi Brown said: “This service has been expanded to provide welfare support to vulnerable adults in light of the coronavirus outbreak. It provides residents with taxi transport home from the hospital, where a member of staff meets them at their home to ensure they arrive safely and timely and have help to meet their needs as appropriate, for example winter packs, essential food parcels and heating. They keep in touch with residents for three days after they return home.
“The service takes referrals from our adult social care teams, and operates seven days a week, apart from bank holidays. It is part of the extra care we’re putting in place to ensure vulnerable residents have the support they need at this most difficult of times. It has received incredible feedback from residents who have been helped by the teams and shows that innovative responses can come from times of adversity.”
Residents are also reminded that they can contact #StokeonTrentTogether, a campaign by the council and voluntary sector partner VAST to support vulnerable households through the coronavirus outbreak. The service is available at www.corona19.vast.org.uk or 0800 561 5610.
Meanwhile, the council received 87 applications from groups across the city for grant support through its voluntary fund, before the deadline for bids closed on 1 May. The £100,000 fund has been launched to support voluntary groups to continue to operate and help residents during the coronavirus outbreak.
Councillor Brown said: “We have had a huge response to the voluntary fund and I’d like to thank all the organisations that have applied. Groups from right across the city have made bids, including voluntary organisations, faith groups, charities and community groups. We are now working through all of the applications this week, with a view to making an announcement on the successful bids next week. Voluntary groups do a fantastic job in supporting our city and our residents and I’d like to thank them for their continued hard work.”
Meanwhile, the council is working through new guidance issued by government last night (Tuesday) regarding the opening of household waste and recycling centres. The guidance makes it clear that the health, safety and wellbeing of residents and workers must be prioritised and that whether authorities consider opening tip sites or not depends on local circumstances and resources. There are two tip sites in the city, at Hanford and in Federation Road, Burslem, and the council is now looking at how and when the sites can reopen safely and efficiently. Residents are asked to continue to store waste safely and dispose of rubbish using regular council collections, as appropriate.
Council crews are continuing a sweep of brown bin garden waste collections, and tomorrow (Thursday) will visit 325 streets in Blurton, Dresden, Fenton, Florence Park, Heron Cross, Hollybush, Lightwood, Longton and Normacot.
For more information and advice on coronavirus (Covid-19) please visit Public Health England:
https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2020/01/23/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-what-you-need-to-know/ and the NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/.
All residents are reminded about the critical importance of regular handwashing with soap and hot water for 20 seconds. The significance of this action cannot be underestimated.
For more information on digital services, visit www.stoke.gov.uk, download the MyStoke App, or follow the city council’s social media channels.
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For all media enquiries please contact Andrew Brunt in the Communications Department at Stoke-on-Trent City Council on 01782 232671.
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