Operation Snow Angel

Cathy BoydDirector

Snow Angels CIC

Working together to support vulnerable people during cold

weather

Background

• Periods of extreme cold weather over the last few years

• Number of Excess Winter Deaths in Cheshire West and Chester higher than the average for the North West

• Range of different services provided by partners to local people

• Development of a Cold Weather Plan

0.00

5.00

10.00

15.00

20.00

25.00

Exc

ess

win

ter m

orta

lity

inde

x (%

)The Excess Winter mortality index In West Cheshire

Local Authority in North West

England

North West

Local Authority

Vulnerability Factors

• Over 75 • Existing chronic conditions including

respiratory disease and cardio-vascular disease

• Living alone• Female• More affluent areas

Aims of the scheme• Increase in access to preventative services to enable people to

keep warm and well• Increase in volunteering in local communities• Decrease in accidental injuries, illness and deaths caused by

extreme cold weather• Decrease in social isolation during extreme cold weather periods• Improvements in partnership working across the community and

voluntary, public and private sectors• Development of a model through action learning• Longer term development of more resilient communities and

support to vulnerable people

Project Design

• Health Inequalities National Support Team guidelines

• Assisted bin route• People asked to “opt in” to service and agree to

data sharing• Call Centre provided by Weaver Vale Housing Trust• Volunteers managed by Cheshire Community

Development Trust• Range of funders both in cash and in kind

Pilot area

Services Provided

• Not an emergency response service• Advice and referrals to existing providers• “Helping hands” through extreme cold weather• Weekly phone calls throughout pilot• Daily phone calls in extreme cold weather• Introductory visits and call out visits• Snow clearance, shopping, collecting

prescriptions etc.

Evaluation

• Quantitative information through software analysis

• Qualitative information through focus groups and interviews

• Interviews with carers where appropriate• Questionnaires to volunteers, partners, and

customers• Social impact

Increase in volunteering

• 42 volunteers recruited• Partner agencies and individual volunteers• Range of backgrounds• Development of links to local community groups e.g.

Parish Councils, faith groups• All the volunteers would volunteer again• Different roles for volunteers• Seven days a week• Lead in time for organisations

Access to preventative services

• Range of partners offering services• Customer resistance to leaflets• Initial referral numbers low through telephone

and visits• Private adaptation requests• Evaluation questionnaire resulted in 60

referrals for services

Decrease in illness, accidents etc. and social isolation

• Customer profile – most people over 75 years old and living alone

• MOSAIC analysis range of backgrounds• “Knowing that someone cared”• Fear of falling in icy weather• Weekly phone calls valued• Able to access help if needed

Improvements in partnership working

• All the partners wanted to be involved in a future scheme

• Half previously unaware of issues of EWD• Just over half will change working practices• Provided a model for future development• Severe weather would have tested more• Improved links with other services• Referral of people into the scheme

Partners• Northwich Area Partnership Board• Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service• Department of Health• Weaver Vale Housing Trust• Groundwork Cheshire• Age UK Cheshire• Cheshire Community

Development Trust• Cheshire West and Chester

Council• Vale Royal Disability Services• Cheshire West CAB

• East Cheshire NHS Trust• Western Cheshire PCT• Cheshire Constabulary• Blue Door Software• Environment Agency• Local Resilience Forum• Cheshire Community Action• Mears Home Improvement

Agency• Supporting People• Northwich Town Council• Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT

Funding arrangements

• Financial contributions from Northwich and Rural North APB, Department of Health, Weaver Vale Housing Trust and Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service

• In kind contributions from all the partners• Volunteer time estimated contribution• Cost £22 per customer per week for pilot• Average cost of hip fracture £5,000

Future Development

• Further work on NST recommendations e.g. flu jabs• Funding arrangements could include self-payers,

external funding, sponsorship, and major partners (LA and NHS)

• Locality based• Seven day a week service• October to March • Refine NHS referral systems• Village tool-kit development

• “Thank you because you are there and this takes a lot of the worry and solitude out of the winter months. My family are wonderful but all at a distance and in the bleakest weather it is difficult for them to get to me and though I couldn’t have better neighbours they are getting older too. However, let us smile, I now have my very own Angels”