CORNWALL Council is asking residents to give any support they can to help vulnerable family members, friends and neighbours stay safe at home this festive period.

The calls follows an open letter from the NHS and Council’s care services asking residents to assist the health and care services help them at a time of high demand.

In the open letter, the CEOs and clinical directors of the NHS and Cornwall Council care services said: ‘We want to thank you for the many ways you have responded to the pressures on our health and care services in 2021 and we have a big ask – we need you to continue to help us, to help you.

‘Health and care workers across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are working tirelessly together to keep services running to support us all, our loved ones, our neighbours, and our communities.

‘We are all in the unprecedented circumstances of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic with its new Omicron variant. We have an ambitious booster vaccine programme for anyone aged 18 and older and by the end of the month we will have vaccinated 172,000 people – around 9,000 people a day. The booster provides up to 70% protection from the new variant. We are expanding the places where people can be vaccinated, including at the re-opened Stithians showground site.

‘There is high demand for all services, and we are preparing for an anticipated surge in COVID-19 cases. It is vital we keep beds in our acute hospitals at Treliske and Derriford free for people needing urgent and emergency treatment, our community hospitals free to provide continuing care, and our ambulances on the road able to respond to emergency calls.

‘In recent days we have seen many ambulances queuing and unable to unload patients causing delays in response time to 999 calls. There have been many people in hospital beds who are waiting for care to be arranged in their own or care homes and we have a lot of people waiting in the emergency department for hospital beds – which is the reason the ambulances can’t unload their patients. It’s a vicious circle – but if we all work together, we can fix it.’

Cornwall Council says its adult social care teams are working hard to support hospitals in getting people ready to be discharged back home with support, or into care homes.

There is currently high demand for home care and the council is urging relatives of those needing support at home to give extra help and be as flexible and patient as they can when packages of care are being arranged.

Here’s how you can help:

Support loved ones to leave hospital - Sometimes patients may be discharged early in the day or late at night and the NHS and care services appreciate your help with settling in loved ones at home.

Evening and weekend visits - There are times when the NHS and care services can offer some of the care needed at home which means your loved one can leave hospital with your support, for example to cover evening or weekend visits.

Flexible timing - Home care visits will often be offered in a broad rather than a precise time band - for example ‘morning’, ‘lunchtime’ or ‘evening’, and it may be necessary to use different care workers for each visit.

Cancel care which is no longer needed - If your loved one needs less care now than they used to because they have returned to greater independence, please let the adult social care team or your care provider know. Returning care hours back into the system helps others who need it most.

Councillor Dr Andy Virr, Cornwall’s cabinet member for adults, said: “Health and care workers across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are working tirelessly together to keep services running to support us all, our loved ones, our neighbours, and our communities.

“There is high demand for health and care services during this festive period and in order to help you we need your extra support.

“If you have relatives or friends receiving, or waiting to receive, home care we are extremely grateful for any help you can give to support your loved ones leave hospital, settle them back at home and perhaps visit them during evenings and weekends when it can be more difficult to source care visits in some locations.

“I want to thank our residents for the many ways you have responded to the pressures on our health and care services in 2021 and please continue to help us to help you.”