ICovid-19 support

The COVID-19 crisis had been on our agenda since early February 2020. However, the rate of escalation and impact was not something anyone within our sector could have foreseen.

The Community Services team noted an increase in dialogue around the Corona Virus, coming both from our Primary Health Care Partners and importantly from our clients and volunteers. This early indication suggested that we would need to prepare to adapt, but continue our work. It was during the second week of March 2020 that we started to log an increased number of initial enquiries, mainly from older people, or people who had been identified (or more often self-identified) as part of the at risk group. These were mostly around seeking support with food and medication delivery.

As the demand increased locallywe quickly acted to work with some of our existing networks and partners including:

·         Local Councillors

·         MP Rosie Duffield’s Constituency Staff

·         Whitstable Umbrella Centre

·         Food Friends

·         Fare Share

·         Age UK Herne Bay &Whitstable

·         East Kent Mind’s Revival Café

·         Local food suppliers

·         Riverside Church

This group of organisations formed the Whitstable Cares community support service

Although demand was continuing to increase we were managing on a day by day basis but as soon as lockdown was announced, the surge in demand increased by 200% from the week before lockdown. We were working in shifts of two, AM and PM ensuring social distancing and time for appropriate clean down of contact surfaces etc. After another two weeks we had put in place the systems and resources to provide the following:

·         We adapted our website to allow people to ask for help, or volunteer; we also put in

·         place the facility for volunteers to provide us copies of their DBS (Disclosure and

·         Barring Service checks

·         Managed 77 online enquiries for immediate support needs in the first week of lockdown

·         Responded to roughly 130 telephone enquiries for support in the first week of lockdown

·         Distributed 48 five-day supply dry food parcels

·         Distributed 18 five-day meat supply boxes

·         Distributed 16 five-day fruit and veg supply boxes

·         Allocated £2650 of funds (initially) to other local groups including Umbrella Café and Riverside Church pantry project.

·         Used roughly £850 of funds as a discretionary fund to purchase gas and electricity top up’s, furniture, appliances and vouchers. Initially we released some of our reserves to do this; however, we were successful in generating some donations to offset these costs

·         Made 57 individual referrals to our partners, Food Friends for ongoing support

·         Ensured every primary age school child in CT5 is in receipt of Food Friend support,

working with all four local school liaison officers.

·         Helped stock the pantry project in partnership with Riverside Church.

·         Engaged local businesses to provide fresh supplies of meat, fruit and veg to be given

·         to residents who we referred to the supplier.

·         Engaged with 44 volunteers who applied to assist us; we subsequently referred these onto the Canterbury City Council volunteers system. Just under 50% of these had a DBS check in place.

Our work With Whitstable Cares continued through out the pandemic, ensuring that local residents had support guidance and care at their fingertips.