Issue - meetings

The Service Manager presented the report to the Committee to provide Members with an update on the Community Outreach Service delivered by the Environmental Health Team.

The Community Outreach Service (the ‘Service’) was a well-established, longstanding service delivered by the Council.

The Service was ultimately aiming to assist residents to live or remain in a safe and healthy home, and to assist their overall health and wellbeing.  The Service delivered support across the District to some of the Council’s most vulnerable residents.

The Service delivery focussed on the following themes:

·       Support to ensure residents were receiving any financial help available;

·       Help with budgeting to reflect residents’ individual circumstances;

·       Referral to debt advice agencies;

·       Support in tackling food and fuel poverty;

·       Help to deal with letters and forms;

·       Referral to specialist agencies to meet the resident’s needs;

·       Help with improving physical, mental and emotional wellbeing;

·       Close working with partner agencies to support families in need of additional support; and,

·       Interventions.

Whilst the Service was flexible to the needs of residents in need of help and support, the demand for the Service had predominantly been around advice and support for financial assistance.

It was intended to provide a friendly, approachable Service focussing on individual assistance.  While telephone assistance could be provided, the aim was to provide face-to-face, in person connections via outreach or home visits.

Mobile phone numbers were used rather than customers accessing the Service through the Council’s telephonic services – to avoid wary customers being deterred from making contact and accessing the help they might need.

The Service received a substantial number of service requests.  In the 2024/25 financial year, the number of service requests equated to approximately 13 cases per week, between 2 FTEs.  The table below demonstrated how the number of cases had risen significantly since the COVID-19 Global Pandemic (and also perhaps as a result of the Cost of Living crisis).

Due to the increased demand for the Service over recent years, the Council had to make minor changes to the Service to accommodate current needs.  However, during the busiest times, it was likely that customers could wait up to two weeks for an appointment.  This did depend on priority and risk though, with the most urgent cases being brought forward.

Customers were generally satisfied with the appointment times being offered – to date, the Council had never received a complaint about the Service.

For each case received, there were a wide range of interventions that might be delivered.  Cases could often result in more than one visit due to their complexity.  Interventions such as assisting in the completion of forms for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) meant a visit could take approximately 2 hours.

Therefore, of the 13 cases received on average per week, there would be cases that were ongoing with multiple interventions and could range from  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6