Wellbeing for Life supporting thousands across County Durham

Since the start of the Coronavirus social distancing and self-isolation started, the Wellbeing for Life Service have supported 5,942 people across County Durham with welfare telephone calls, making nearly 14,000 contacts ensuring people have the essentials they need to be able to stay home and stay safe.

Wellbeing for Life, Social Prescribing Link workers and the Macmillan Joining the Dots Teams have worked tirelessly together to support people who have urgently needed grocery shopping, prescription collections and mental wellbeing support.

Julie Form, Wellbeing Manager, said ‘The team have been working to contact as many vulnerable and shielding people as they can from information they have received from Durham County Council.

They have successfully sourced, not only grocery provisions and arranged controlled drug collections and deliveries, but they have also helped people with installing wheelchair ramp access to their homes, found fridges, microwaves and counter top cookers to support people to cook in their own households.

I am extremely proud of what we have achieved so far and we intend to carry on ensuring that everyone is staying at home and staying safe’.

The teams are making daily phone calls to hundreds of people, and they’re getting some lovely comments. One person said ‘Can I just say thank you for calling me today and you have helped me smile again, yourself and all your colleagues are all angels in disguise and your halos are shining bright at this time, thank you all so, so much’.

The Wellbeing for Life Service are working in partnership with the County Durham Together Hub along with many local support services across the County.

Picture above shows:

Top row from the left – Michelle Gibson, Wellbeing for Life Area Lead. Emma Lenton, Wellbeing for Life Practitioner. Christine Kay, Macmillan Joining the Dots Facilitator.

Middle row from left – Vicki Moffat, Wellbeing for Life Area Lead. Emma Spencer, Social Prescribing Link Worker. Laura Birkin, Wellbeing for Life Practitioner.

Bottom row from the left – Liz Oakes, Wellbeing for Life Trainer. Nikki Williams, Wellbeing for Life Practitioner. Julie Form, Wellbeing for Life Manager.