The Council is preparing to step up and help thousands of Plymouth residents who have recently been added to the COVID-19 clinically extremely vulnerable list.
On Tuesday, the government announced a new predictive risk modelling tool to help clinicians identify adults with multiple risk factors that make them more vulnerable to COVID-19
This research has found there are several health and personal factors, such as age, ethnicity and BMI, as well as certain medical conditions and treatments, which, when combined, could mean someone is at a higher risk of becoming seriously ill if they were to catch COVID-19.
The Caring for Plymouth Support Hub, which has helped nearly 6,000 people since it was first set up in April 2020, will now begin to contact an initial 3,500 people newly thought to be at increased risk to COVID-19.
Caring for Plymouth is the partnership between the Council, Livewell Southwest and a large number of voluntary and community sector organisations which focusses on people who do not have established support networks so that they can access emotional support, access to food, medicine collections and support with paying bills and accessing money.
The new cohort of will be receiving letters from the NHS over the next few days that will advise them to shield and take up the offer of a vaccine as soon as possible. The Council and its partners, aided by specially trained staff, will then rally to pro-actively contact people to assess their needs.
Councillor Kate Taylor, Cabinet member for Adult and Social Care, said: "Caring for Plymouth has been a beacon of light throughout these dark times in that it has seen a dedicated core of staff and volunteers go beyond the call of duty to provide support for our most vulnerable residents.
"Being told that you're on a vulnerable list could be confusing or frightening for a some people, so to be there on the end of a phone for those people makes me proud of the team we have and the amazing work they do."
Although the Council will be contacting residents, anyone who is clinically extremely vulnerable and desperately in need of help, should contact us. Staff will be ready and waiting to take calls on 01752 668000 between 9am and 5pm from Monday to Friday.
Alternatively, a full list of Caring for Plymouth partners and services can be found on the Plymouth Online Directory at www.plymouthonlinedirectory.com/covid19/caringforplymouth