Norfolk County Council needed to protect and support the most vulnerable and at-risk citizens impacted by the COVID 19 pandemic in the most efficient, consistent and structured way possible. The council had to work out very quickly how they were going to work in partnership with their district colleagues to make sure anyone needing help and support get it in a timely manner, especially those in particular that are clinically vulnerable and being advised to not leave the house for a considerable period of time.
Norfolk Council was identified as a single point of contact for incoming calls with the district councils taking responsibility for outbound calls to people on the shielding list and putting in community responses based on a needs assessment that could be anything from emergency food parcels to prescription pick-ups right through to dog walking or making sure their basic needs were met at a local level.