SURREY County Council has set up a Community Helpline number 0300 200 1008 to provide assistance for vulnerable residents.

The purpose of the hotline is to help direct residents who need support, such as picking up shopping, prescription collections or having someone who can be a telephone friend, to services who can help.

It also aims to provide advice to residents on where they can register an offer of help to support their community.

Leader of Surrey County Council, Tim Oliver said: “At this time of great uncertainty we are here, as a public service, to help guide people through. Please visit the www.surreycc.gov.uk website for up to date information.

“We are mobilising all available staff in the best way with the key priority of looking after our most vulnerable residents – those who are dependent on our help as a county council.

“We have teams working flat out alongside our boroughs and districts and our voluntary and community groups to coordinate a huge community effort – there are small things like people helping elderly or self-isolating neighbours that we often see in Britain in these moments, there are financial offers or support and also experienced voluntary organisations mapping out where help is needed most.”

It is launched alongside Surrey’s public information campaign around five key things for people to do during the coronavirus outbreak:

• Keeping up to date and following the official advice at www.nhs.uk/coronavirus

• Sharing only official information and guidance from trusted sources – not spreading rumour or panic

• Staying sensible – washing hands regularly, keeping physical distance from each other

• Thinking about what help you need or how you can help

• And making sure we’re keeping in touch with each other – phone, text, facetime, just checking in – and keeping our minds healthy

The helpline will not be able to provide any public health advice, with residents advised to continue to seek up to date guidance from www.nhs.uk/coronavirus and use existing services such as 111 online. 

For the full story get the 26 March edition of the News & Mail