Surrey Together during Coronavirus

Surrey Local Resilience Forum

The Surrey Local Resilience Forum (SLRF) is coordinating the county-wide response to Coronavirus and incorporates all partners across Surrey. It's being led by Surrey County Council, Surrey Police and Surrey Fire and Rescue Service working closely with District and Borough councils and all health partners. They are also working alongside many many community, voluntary sector and faith groups who are co-ordinating projects at a local level. All of this alongside the tireless work of volunteers. Here is an infographic showing all that's been achieved up until May (PDF).

SLRF key areas of focus so far

Here is what the key areas of focus have been so far, facilitated by a team of volunteers and people behind the scenes looking at the logistics of it all and of course at some stage we will then be looking at what recovery looks like.

PPE

As with across the UK there has been a call out for Personal Protective Equipment for our frontline staff. We are leaving no stone unturned and exploring every possible avenue available to get more.
Our 4 main ways of getting PPE are through our strategy of:

1. Receiving Government supplies and distribute them across Surrey
2. Procuring our own supplies and distributing them across Surrey
3. Receiving donated PPE, checking and sorting before distributing across Surrey
4. Receiving locally produced PPE, checking and sorting before distributing across Surrey

To find out more visit Surrey County Council Coronavirus Help Us Provide PPE web pages.

NHS Seacole Hospital and mortuary provision

Another development expected imminently is the opening of NHS Seacole at Headley Court Surrey in Leatherhead. The work that has gone into standing up a new hospital in just a matter of weeks is another great example of Health and LRF partners working together to deliver a much-needed facility quickly. The new Seacole facility will begin taking patients in the coming days, and will prove to be essential in relieving the pressure not only on our hospitals but also to our care homes, with step down bed capacity for patients coming out of acute hospitals before they are readmitted to care settings.

The site will also house a temporary mortuary to cover the wider Surrey geography. The mortuary facility, which has been put in place by the Surrey Local Resilience Forum, is part of an ongoing plan to ensure the deceased are treated with dignity and respect and will begin to take over from existing temporary sites at the University of Surrey in Guildford and at Surrey Fire and Rescue Service Headquarters in Reigate.

Testing

People in Surrey who are eligible for a coronavirus test can find answers to their essential questions by going online at www.surreycc.gov.uk/coronavirustesting

A revised, bespoke page clearly sets out who is now eligible for a test, how to book, information about the different types of tests available, and useful videos explaining how testing is carried out.

Welfare and Volunteering

A Welfare and Volunteering group has been set up to support the most vulnerable people in Surrey. The number of whom is growing as this crisis continues. A food hub set up at The Spectrum in Guildford is getting hundreds of food parcels out every week – with the help of volunteers from Guildford Borough Council, Team Rubicon UK, Surrey County Council and other members of the community. There have also been over 15,000 calls now to shielded residents, checking that they are OK and what support they may need this also includes home visits to some hard to reach people who are vulnerable and isolated. This is in addition to more than 4,000 calls to our community helpline.

Community Helpline 0300 200 1008

The Community Helpline is there to give people help and support if they need it for such things as picking up shopping, medicines or arranging someone to call them for a friendly chat. They are also able to help point you in the right direction for local help and advice. 0300 200 1008 Monday to Friday 8am – 6pm and Saturday and Sunday 10am – 12pm.

Check out the Surrey County Council Coronavirus web site, that has lots of helpful information and advice whether you're a resident or a business in Surrey, including information on helplines, latest Government advice, testing, ways to offer help, latest scams update and much more.