More than 33,000 calls to a council shielding helpline were made between April 2020 and January 2021.

At its peak, 2,500 calls per week were being dealt with, most of them relating to food provision and collection of prescriptions.

In October 2020, the council set up an outbound contact model to contact citizens who had been asked to self-isolate.  

The council said the team has used experience and insight gathered from the outbound welfare calls made last Summer to over 14,000 residents on the Shielding list who had not made contact with the council during the first lockdown. 

The council said over time, both inbound and outbound calls have become more complex to handle as citizens present with a range of complex support needs, including wellbeing assistance.

Examples of the help given include a person who sought help as they couldn’t afford to top up the electricity meter. 

Following a discussion, they disclosed they have been unable to work and have no income.  They were referred to the Citizens Advice.  A foodbank parcel was arranged and, as they are isolating, contact free delivery agreed.  The person was given information about the local Food Pantry to access low cost food on a regular basis

Another person had tested positive and received a call from the team.  They had young children and was struggling with the increased costs of feeding them as well as a lack of IT to help with home schooling.  They were helped to claim Free School Meals funding and also referred for digital support.

The council’s Covid-19 helpline is available at 0141 276 1185.