Safer, Stronger Communities – Rural and Safer, Stronger Communities – Ashby, Bottesford & Scunthorpe Cabinet Members (Joint) – Minutes – 27 July 2020

1 FINAL REPORT ON THE SHIELDING OF VULNERABLE PEOPLE IN NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE DURING COVID-19 – The Director: Learning, Skills and Culture submitted a report seeking approval on the shielding of vulnerable people in North Lincolnshire during Covid-19.

In the latter part of March 2020, approximately one and a half million people nationally were identified as extremely vulnerable to Covid-19 as a consequence of specific underlying health conditions. Locally, almost 7,000 residents were identified within this NHS Shield cohort. Additionally, people were identified within the wider population as vulnerable due to personal circumstance.

The North Lincolnshire approach to shielding centered on ensuring that vulnerable people stay safe, well and connected throughout their time in isolation. The strategy was organised in three parts:

  • Championing a community-led approach to meeting people’s needs through neighbourliness and acts of kindness, including the ‘do one thing’ campaign.
  • Mobilising a coordinated, place-based approach across public and voluntary community organisations for identifying and meeting the needs of vulnerable people.
  • Specifically, ensuring people within the Shield cohort with unmet needs were reassured, had access to food, medicine and social contact.

The report also:

  • summarised the enabling approach to shielding in North Lincolnshire
  • presented some of the richness in the local solutions to this national challenge, and
  • set out the learning and next steps that had arisen from our shared experiences

Resolved – That the final report on the shielding of vulnerable people in North Lincolnshire during Covid-19 be approved.