Herefordshire Council staff help with delivering emergency supplies and supporting the most vulnerable residents
Herefordshire Council has redeployed over 200 staff from non-critical services to support the Covid-19 emergency response.
Some services have been temporarily suspended while the council focuses on supporting Herefordshire’s most vulnerable residents, so staff are putting their skills to new uses. Our staff are working alongside 1300 volunteers as part of the council’s Talk Community team, in the Emergency Delivery Hub or they have been re-assigned to support the continuation of the council’s essential services.
One such redeployed team is the Library Delivery Service. They are used to delivering books to the housebound in the community; now they are using their logistic and organisational skills for a different purpose – to pick-up and distribute medicines to people who may not have friends, families or neighbours to support them.
Senior Librarian Jan Nesaratnam said:
“Council workers and volunteers right across the county have adapted brilliantly to support their local communities and we felt that this was a way that the team could provide a valuable service and put their skills and knowledge to good use.”
Chief Executive Alistair Neill said:
“There has never been a time when the work of local authorities was more necessary or more important. I want to thank all of our staff for their resilience and positivity as they continue to deliver our essential services and help to keep safe the most vulnerable in our county.
“The tremendous efforts of staff has not gone unnoticed by myself and the wider community, and everything we are doing as a council and in tandem with our partners in the NHS, police and other agencies is making a difference and helping to save lives.”
