Chesterfield Borough Council staff redeployed to fight coronavirus on the frontline

Members of staff have been redeployed to support pharmacies to deliver medicines to residents’ homes, have made regular food parcel deliveries to those in need, and are working with community groups and charities.

Staff have also been redeployed around the council to support the rollout of small business grants, to work at the crematorium and to help ensure the Careline service can keep running for the benefit of the borough’s elderly residents.

Councillor Tricia Gilby, leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “I’m proud of the way our staff have quickly responded to this crisis and the way in which they are continuing to adapt to new roles and responsibilities as required. It’s really important that we use all our resources to effectively support the local community and any residents who may require additional support, especially those who are particularly vulnerable at this time.”

Staff have also been learning new skills to keep essential services running – some of the Town Hall’s clerical staff are now working at the crematorium where they are helping to run services and providing administrative support.

Members of the housing repairs team have been using council vehicles to support the delivery service of several local pharmacies.

This small team has delivered around 650 prescriptions in the last week and will continue to assist pharmacies and their customers for the foreseeable future.

The council has also redeployed staff to support its Careline service, which supports around 2500 vulnerable residents.

The service has handled more than 40 call outs because of slips and falls in the last week.

Careline staff have also been working closely with local food banks to help deliver food parcels.

The service has also been contacting around 200 residents a day to check on their wellbeing and to help access support via the Derbyshire-wide Community Response Unit.

To access help from the Derbyshire Community Response Unit please call 01629 535091 or register on the website: www.derbyshire.gov.uk/gethelp