Help from Cornwall Council for extremely vulnerable residents

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NHS Kernow, Volunteer Cornwall and Cornwall Council are supporting communities across Cornwall to ensure residents who need help during the COVID-19 pandemic are getting assistance. Thank you to all our residents and communities who are helping one another. 
Extremely vulnerable residents who need help getting food supplies or medical prescriptions – either because they are in the high risk, ‘shielded’ group or have other specific difficulties – are being urged to get in touch with Cornwall Council or Volunteer Cornwall.
Residents who can get help could fall into different groups depending on whether they are shielded or not:

Shielding after receiving a letter
 

Those who have received letters from the Government advising them they are considered to be at high risk of severe illness if they catch coronavirus because they have an underlying disease or health condition and that they should self-isolate at home for at least 12 weeks and ask others for help with shopping and prescriptions. This ‘shielded’ category includes:

• Organ transplant recipients

• People having treatments for some cancers

• People who have long-term lung disease or severe respiratory conditions including cystic fibrosis

• People with conditions which make their blood and cells work differently and get infections easily

• People taking immunosuppression medications which reduce the body’s response to fighting infections

• Women who are pregnant and have heart disease 

Everyone in the shielding group, which covers all ages from young to old, is being asked to follow stricter social distancing rules than most people and cannot leave their homes, even for essential shopping or exercise.

Suspected to be shielded but have not received a letter

Those who believe they should be in the shielded category but have still not received a letter should exercise caution and contact their GP. If they are unsure if they should be shielding or not, they should also contact their GP for advice. 

Not shielded but still needing help

Residents who have not received letters stating they are in the shielded group but may still have complex or medical needs or have other difficulties in getting shopping or medicines and need assistance. 

How to get help

The Council is reminding extremely vulnerable people, whether they are on the shielding list, believe they should be or who are not being shielded, what steps they need to follow to ensure they get the help they need.

In summary, those shielding need to register at www.gov.uk/coronavirus-extremely-vulnerable or by calling 0800 0288327. Cornwall Council and Volunteer Cornwall can provide additional help. Ring the Council on 0300 1231118 or email covid19@cornwall.gov.uk or ring Volunteer Cornwall on 01872 266988 or email requestforhelp@volunteercornwall.org.uk.
Those who are not shielding but still need help should contact the Council or Volunteer Cornwall on the same contact details.