• NHS Volunteer Responders scheme expanded to offer vital support to frontline health and social care staff
• Over 285,000 volunteer tasks have been carried out so far, helping people from across the community with tasks like delivering shopping
• Announcement comes as part of Volunteers Week 2020

NHS volunteer responders will be carrying out socially-distanced tasks including helping with delivering food shopping and dropping off personal medication to frontline staff at their homes.

While the country is moving into a new phase in the national effort against this pandemic, health and social care staff on the frontline continue to provide vital care and support to our loved ones, many of whom will still be shielding.

From Monday, the NHS volunteer responders will extend their support to health and social care workers across the country, helping them to protect those they care for by making fewer journeys and coming into contact with fewer people so they can focus on and continue their vital work.

Minister for Care, Helen Whately said:

The NHS volunteer responders have played a vital role in our response to coronavirus, and I am hugely thankful for their support. Their selfless efforts to protect those who need to shield or self-isolate has helped stop the spread of the virus and alleviated pressure on health and care services during this unprecedented pandemic.

Following the success of the volunteers scheme, support is now being extended to all our wonderful health and care staff who continue to go above and beyond.

We want to support them in whatever way we can to make their lives easier while they continue to support others most in need.

Since the beginning of April, NHS volunteer responders have completed hundreds of thousands of acts of support and kindness, helping vulnerable individuals, the shielded population, and supporting those who are self-isolating or caring for others.

Yesterday, as part of Volunteers Week, Care Minister Helen Whately conducted a ‘check in and chat’ session with an individual self-isolating in Oxfordshire. Check in and chats are a friendly chat between volunteers and individuals who are shielding or self-isolating and provide short-term telephone support to individuals who are at risk of loneliness as a consequence of self-isolation.

Neil Churchill, Director of Patient Experience, Participation and Equalities at NHS England said:

Thanks to the kindness of the British public, our army of volunteers have helped thousands of people across the country in their greatest time of need.

These helpers continue to be on hand to support the most vulnerable people in our society and it is fantastic that this invaluable offer is now being extended to help our dedicated NHS staff who continue to work day and night to care for thousands of people during the pandemic.

Catherine Johnstone CBE, Chief Executive of Royal Voluntary Service said:

NHS volunteer responders stepped forward to support during the coronavirus pandemic and as we enter the next phase of our fight against the disease, I’m delighted that their help can now also be called upon by staff working in health and social care. The opportunity for frontline staff to access help with their shopping and prescription deliveries will free up more of their time to care.

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England said:

Care England welcomes this new scheme for volunteers to support social care staff. Our staff are our biggest resource and we know that the scheme will make a difference in reducing the potential for staff to come into contact with COVID-19.

The NHS volunteer responders programme was developed by NHS England in partnership with the Royal Voluntary Service and facilitated by the Good Sam app.

Volunteers carry out simple, one-off non-medical tasks to support people in England who need help with accessing essentials or who would benefit from a friendly chat to help prevent loneliness.

The programme is also providing support to NHS and local authorities with transport tasks such as delivering blood pressure monitors to patients or transporting small quantities of PPE to care homes.

NHS volunteer responders is a new scheme established as part of the COVID-19 response, involving volunteers who carry out simple, non-medical tasks to support people in England. The scheme helps people to stay safe and well at home.

The support of NHS volunteer responders is now available to anyone who:

• has been advised to shield by a health professional
• is vulnerable for another reason (for instance disability, pregnancy, over 70, have Parkinson’s, epilepsy, or are vulnerable due to a mental health condition)
• is self-isolating because they have confirmed COVID-19 or suspected symptoms, or they have been in contact with someone who has
• is someone with caring responsibilities, if this support helps them to continue in their caring role

NHS volunteer responders have been recruited for 5 key roles:

• community response volunteer: this involves collecting shopping, medication or other essential supplies for someone who is self-isolating or vulnerable, and delivering these supplies to their home
• community response volunteer plus: these volunteers can collect and deliver shopping, medication or other essential supplies for patients with cognitive impairments and or significant vulnerabilities, and who are shielding
• check-in and chat volunteer: this provides short-term telephone support to individuals who would benefit from someone to talk to during their self-isolation
• patient transport volunteer: these volunteers providing transport by car to patients who are medically fit for discharge, as well as taking patients to their essential appointments
• NHS transport volunteer: this involves transporting equipment, supplies and/or medication between NHS services and sites; it may also involve assisting pharmacies with medication delivery

NHS volunteer responders are not intended to replace local groups helping their vulnerable neighbours but is an additional service provided by the NHS.

The NHS and Royal Voluntary Service continues to encourage those needing support to self-refer by calling 0808 196 3646.

UK Government charter flights to bring Brits home from countries in Africa have now flown over 150,000 miles, bringing people back from across six different time zones and enabling over 8,400 stranded travellers to return home from across Africa in addition to over 9,000 the FCO have helped to return home on commercial flights.

Elderly grandparents, families with babies and NHS doctors were among the thousands of people helped by British Embassy and High Commission staff to get on flights after they got stranded while visiting family, working or on holiday.

As well as organising the flights, UK teams went to great lengths to make sure people got home safely, with staff in South Africa driving a collective 7,000 miles to pick up the most elderly and vulnerable passengers to ensure they made their flights.

Elsewhere the team in Kenya sorted emergency travel documents for a new-born baby without a passport, in Nigeria staff made sure a father got home in time for his son’s 14th birthday, and the High Commission in Ghana ensured a microbiologist made it back to work on the front line in the UK’s fight against coronavirus.

On top of this diplomats were working with partners including Ethiopian Airlines and Kenya Airways to keep as many commercial routes open as possible. Our staff also helped British nationals who could not afford travel costs back to the UK for example by providing emergency loans if they had exhausted all other options. Overall, the Government has enabled tens of thousands of British people who had been visiting Africa to get home.

The number of British travellers returning on Government charter flights include:

• More than 4,300 from South Africa
• More than 2,200 from Nigeria
• More than 900 from Ghana
• More than 200 from The Gambia
• More than 200 from Sierra Leone
• More than 100 from Tanzania
• More than 150 from Sudan
• More than 200 from Uganda
• More than 100 from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon
• More than 50 from West Africa (covering Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Guinea and Cape Verde)

Minister for Africa, James Duddridge said:

The scale of these repatriation efforts is truly remarkable. It’s excellent news that so many people are being reunited with their families in the UK and I am very grateful for the sterling work by our embassy teams and to the Governments who have supported us.

Filming a message on social media, father of four Mr Opoku from Manchester said:

I was part of the flight [from Ghana] and it means so much to me and my family to be coming back. What we are saying is thank you very much British High Commission Ghana.

Turning to his four daughters gathered around him the family exclaimed:

Thank you British High Commission Ghana for bringing our Daddy back!

Since the outbreak in Wuhan, it is estimated that over 1.3 million people have returned to the UK via commercial routes. The majority of these routes were supported by the FCO, which worked with airlines and foreign governments to keep vital transit hubs open and ensure that domestic restrictions didn’t pose a barrier to getting people home.

Work does not stop here. The UK Government continues to work on more charter flights focussed on where they are most needed, including more flights from Nigeria scheduled this week.

A package of measures to support British travellers who are still waiting to return to the UK has also been put in place. The support package addresses financial issues, healthcare concerns and visa extensions, as well as loans for those who cannot afford flights to the UK where they have exhausted all other options.

Case studies

The efforts of Embassy and High Commission teams include:

• In Nigeria, staff supported a family with toddlers to get home in time for a funeral, with the help of an FCO COVID emergency loan to help purchase tickets for a special UK charter flight.
• Our High Commission in Ghana arranged for hundreds of British travellers to get home to cities around the UK, including Edinburgh, Ipswich, Liverpool and London.
• Our staff in South Africa drove a collective 7,000 miles across the country to pick up a number of elderly passengers to make sure they got to the airport in time. The High Commissioner himself was on hand at the airport to greet British travellers and help carry luggage. [Photos available]
• On our flight from Tanzania, the team enabled 151 British travellers, including 15 children and 17 pensioners, to return to their families in Belfast, Glasgow and Bolton.

Thank you, Mr President, and my thanks to USG Lacroix and His Excellency the Foreign Minister of Mauritania for their briefings. I want to begin by paying tribute to the forces of the G5 Sahel, to UN peacekeepers serving in MINUSMA, to international troops deployed in Operation Barkhane, and to all those working to bring peace and security to the people of the Sahel.

Our thoughts are with the families of those who have paid the ultimate price in the service of this cause, and with the innocent civilians who continue to suffer the impact of the deteriorating security situation in the Sahel. Just last weekend three attacks by jihadist armed groups in northern and eastern Burkina Faso led to the loss of over 50 lives. The UK strongly condemns all such attacks, and calls for all parties to conflict to respect international humanitarian law and ensure the protection of civilians.

Mr President, since this Council last discussed the situation in the Sahel, Covid-19 has created new challenges to bringing about stability and development in the region. It will increase pressure on limited state resources and risks diverting international attention away from tackling the drivers of instability. In response, the United Kingdom is supporting governments and our humanitarian implementation partners in the Sahel to manage escalating health and humanitarian needs.

But we recognise that the secondary impacts of Covid-19 will also hit these countries hard, and so we are also helping the governments of the region to address the longer-term, socio-economic impacts of the pandemic. This is in addition to the $665 million the United Kingdom is contributing to global efforts to develop vaccines, treatments and testing for Covid-19, and to the IMF to support vulnerable economies.

In this highly challenging context, we commend the efforts of the G5 Sahel nations and their partners to address security concerns and tackle cross-border threats. We welcome the increased operational output and improved capabilities of the Joint Force, and the positive trajectory of improving coordination with regional and international forces.

The United Kingdom is proud to be supporting efforts to stabilise the Sahel through our deployment to MINUSMA later this year, through our non-combat assistance to Operation BARKHANE, and our ongoing contribution to the EU Training Mission in Mali. We are also supporting the G5 Sahel Joint Force itself, with UK bilateral contributions so far totalling $3.4 million, in addition to our contributions through other organisations. We would welcome all partners who have committed to support the Force to deliver their pledges in full.

Mr President, I would like to reiterate that there can be no sustainable peace and security in the Sahel without the protection and promotion of human rights, and compliance with international human humanitarian law. The UK welcomes the progress made in implementing the human rights compliance framework for the G5 Sahel Joint Force, but we would underscore that all reports of human rights violations and abuses – whether by violent extremist groups, “self-defence” militias or state security forces – need to be addressed. This is essential not only to prevent human suffering, but to prevent impunity, strengthen the social contract between citizens and the state, and avoid creating grievances that fuel further violence. We urge all G5 governments to ensure that any allegations of violations committed by their security forces are thoroughly and transparently investigated, and that all perpetrators are brought to justice.

The United Kingdom is also concerned by the increasing pressures on humanitarian access in the region. It is critical that all parties respect the neutrality and impartiality of humanitarian actors, and facilitate unimpeded access to ensure that emergency assistance reaches those in need.

In conclusion, Mr President, the United Kingdom will continue to play its part, working with the UN, the G5 Sahel states and all our partners across the region, in pursuit of peace, stability, sustainable development and justice for the people of the Sahel.

Thank you, Mr President.

Mr President, let me just say that I want to thank, first of all, the Force Commanders for addressing us today and in particular, through you, thank your troops for the work they they’re doing to help protect civilians and support stability in some of the toughest environments in the world. And I want to join my colleagues in paying tribute to the 25 peacekeepers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the field this year, including those who lost their lives recently in MINUSMA because of COVID-19.

COVID-19 has, of course, posed a range of additional challenges in every mission setting. And I very much welcomed your comments in the briefing on how the missions are rising to meet these new challenges and how we as individual Member States and the Security Council, as well as, of course, through our UN Headquarters, can best support you. The crucial challenge is how to continue supporting the safety and security of our peacekeepers while ensuring they can fulfill their important work and the mandate giving them their important work to protect civilians and provide stability in conflict-torn environments. We can’t afford to let up on either imperative.

While we address these pressing challenges, we mustn’t lose sight of the longer term commitments we’ve all made as part of the Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping initiative, reforming peacekeeping to make it fit for the 21st century. A4P can continue to provide a solid basis for ensuring our UN peacekeeping missions can and do fulfill all that we ask, even now, in these challenging circumstances.

Firstly, a central priority when it comes to those reforms must be enhancing planning, improving the collection and use of data across the board in order to support evidence-based decision making, both here at HQ and throughout the mission settings. This will help improve the analysis and recommendations provided to members.

Connected with this is the issue of performance and the provision of better data on both outstanding performance and underperformance. We look forward to the promised rollout of the UN’s new integrated performance policy framework later this year to address the performance of uniformed and civilian peacekeepers and overall mission performance, as well as to enhance transparency and accountability.

Particularly in this 20th anniversary year of Resolution 1325, we should also continue pursuing measures to increase the numbers of uniformed women peacekeepers and ensure their full effective, meaningful participation at every level.

And as the Council heard recently in our annual debate on the protection of civilians, civilians continue to bear the brunt of conflict worldwide. And so we should keep strengthening delivery of protection of civilians mandates. This should include full implementation of the Peacekeeping-Intelligence policy, as well as the revised DPO PoC policy. And we should continue to implement the latest iteration on the action plan on the safety and security of peacekeepers.

Finally, we should keep working to smooth the transition from peacekeeping to peace building in settings such as Sudan, increasing our support for the Peacebuilding Fund and ensuring a joined-up approach across the UN system, donors, and other stakeholders.

Like others, Mr President, I’ve got a few questions. May I, first of all, and I think this is relevant to all missions, but I address it, if I might, to the UNMISS Force Commander. Of course, we want to ensure that everything possible is done to ensure the safety and security of all peacekeepers in the field, particularly with respect to illness and injury, but we’re concerned the impact COVID-19 is having on Medevac pathways. Do you have confidence, Force Commanders, that the clinical pathways in place provide an adequate level of assurance? And if not, what can any of us do to help unblock issues or support?

Secondly, we have noted the impact of COVID-19 on rotations with potential consequences on mission effectiveness and welfare. Bearing in mind that in several mission environments, the virus may reach a peak in the coming months, what are your expectations for the period following the 30th of June when the freeze on rotations is due to be lifted? What are the implications for mandate delivery in the second half of the year?

Thirdly, a question again for the UNMISS Force Commander, but it’s relevant to all: We have continuing concerns about sexual and gender-based violence in several missions’ area of operation, including, for instance, recent violence in South Sudan. I know my Indonesian colleague asked about this, but I was wondering if you could comment on how situational awareness and intelligence can be used in the field, both to prevent and deter SGBV and to respond to emergencies.

And finally, again, the UNMISS Force Commander: I would just like to ask for your assessment of the impact the COVID-19 is likely to have on rates of voluntary departures of civilians from PoC sites and whether do you expect a significant impact of COVID-19 on how the force divides its resources between static and mobile protection tasks?

Let me just say that the UK is very much looking forward to the deployment of our 250-strong long-range reconnaissance forces, of course, under MINUSMA command, late this year.

Thank you very much.