What we are doing

Our experienced team continue to be busy responding to a huge variety of queries, offering support and information and referring people to other services who can help where we can’t. For many people, they are the first port of call for information and advice in these uncertain times

Since lockdown we are very much focusing on providing a high quality telephone Befriending Service. Our volunteers who used to provide weekly visits are now chatting once or twice weekly to those they Befriend and some are taking on new Befriendees to cope with the huge increase in demand. Volunteers from other services within the Organisation have also been trained as telephone Befrienders and have joined our amazing team. Over 200 older people are receiving a weekly or twice weekly call and a further 50 receive a fortnightly call. Each call provides much appreciated social contact and also an opportunity to check if any further support is needed.

In spite of the fact that we have temporarily stopped our home visiting service we are continuing to do benefit claims via the telephone and where this will be difficult we refer to the Visiting Service at The Pension Service who will visit in exceptional circumstances. In four weeks of “Working from Home” just one of our advisers in this service had made 215 calls offering advice, making claims for benefits where required, and additionally checking on the well being of everyone spoken to..

Our volunteers are able to do small one off shops (£10 and under) and although our on going shopping service is currently at capacity this does change – in April the team provided 193 personal shops and 28 internet shops with one of our shoppers staying up until midnight to ensure someone received a supermarket shopping slot. There is a £10 charge for the on-going shopping service to cover the cost of staff and fuel. City of York Council are able to help with this as are many other groups in your local community. Alternatives could be securing an on line shop with one of the supermarkets or using local businesses who are currently delivering food during the crisis. Our First Call Team will be able to provide information on all the options available for getting your shopping done and delivered to you, as will City of York Council.

To help relieve pressure on the emergency services, 25 volunteers from the council’s pool of volunteers who matched Age UK’s criteria have been deployed to join the charity’s Home from Hospital service and their existing two volunteer drivers. All volunteers are drivers and car owners and, depending on their availability, experience and preference, the drivers are given shifts and are matched to driving tasks.

To ensure a smooth and effective operation, the council is working closely with our volunteers and the charity, the hospital and Yorkshire Ambulance Service. All volunteer drivers are being trained by Age UK on safeguarding and data protection, and their cars are appropriately insured. The council has also provided them with phones to ensure good communication between them, the charity and hospital. Suitably experienced volunteers with no underlying health conditions and who aren’t medically-shielding, can opt to transport patients who have had Covid-19. They will use personal protection equipment (PPE) and extra hygiene measures which follow Government guidelines. This includes drivers using 1,800 disposable plastic car seat covers kindly donated by garages Stoneacre Ford York, Vantage Toyota York, Butts of Bawtry and Fulford Auto Services.

The committed group of council volunteers drive discharged patients home from hospital to addresses across the hospital’s catchment area. Having driven them home, the volunteers check that the patients have food and, if not, buy some. Depending on their needs and to help them settle safely back home, they can also link them to their local authority for care, support from other volunteers or help with benefits. The volunteers will also drive residents to urgent appointments such as cancer treatments. This could involve driving from York to hospitals in Leeds or Malton for example, which will help free the ambulance service to respond to urgent callouts during the emergency.

Bev Ward from Age UK York said: “It’s great to welcome City of York Council volunteers to our Home from Hospital Service to ensure we can transport home extra patients during the coronavirus crisis and make sure they’re safe and well in their homes.”

Our “physical” Clubs may have stopped but staff have made over 700 calls in the last four weeks to all those who attend. Although we hear that many are missing the Clubs and their friends they also tell staff they look forward to receiving a phone call from us. Staff have reported comments such as “Your call has made my day” and the contact has been “uplifting”. Staff are now busy putting together 145 Activity Packs to post out with quizzes, information and a personal handwritten letter and are also looking at organising virtual Day Clubs

Although compliance with Government guidance on social distancing and shielding of the elderly and vulnerable means that our staff and volunteers cannot, at this time, do home visits, they are regularly calling the Carers they support to chat and reassure. In some instances we are helping in other ways such as with shopping. This has proven a good way for care workers to maintain visual contact with their client at a distance, and seeing someone they know has given comfort to the client during lockdown.

We have had to temporarily suspend this service as it was impossible to continue to offer it and comply with Government guidance on social distancing and shielding of the elderly and vulnerable. We understand that our Feather Duster service has an important role to play in addressing loneliness and isolation and in recognition of this we are still calling everyone who uses this service to check they are well and have someone to talk to. We will be resuming our full Feather Duster service as soon as Government Guidance allows us to do so.

This is carrying on as usual - it's delivering over 350 hours of personal care a week

We are looking forward to resuming this service when the situation regarding lockdown changes. If you need information on will writing services or solicitors in the meantime then our First Call Team will provide this

Unfortunately we have had to suspend this service. Please contact your GP if you would like further information.

We have had to suspend this service for the time being – if you have been in touch about going on one of our holidays this year then our Co-ordinator will contact you in the near future and will also discuss refunds where applicable.