Jersey Post’s award-winning welfare scheme about to go worldwide

The Call and Check service, which was put forward as an idea by Jersey Post employee Joe Dickinson, became known internationally last year after it won a World Mail Award against competition from the United States and Germany.

What is it?

Call and Check is a service that offers a regular visit to Islanders who would benefit from a bit of extra help and support. It currently runs in St Brelade, St Peter, St Ouen and St Mary and is being trialled in St Helier.

How much does it cost?

It is free at the moment.

How does the service work?

Call and Check provides a regular visit for people – daily, weekly or as agreed. Our staff will have a brief conversation with the customer to see how they are and if they need anything.

Who can use Call and Check?

Perhaps you, or someone that you know, would benefit from a regular visit by one of our friendly postal workers. That person might be an elderly relative, someone who has just left hospital and is recovering, or someone for whom you provide regular care.

How do I access this service?

And now the scheme, which in March will be the focus of a meeting of UK health experts organised by the UK government think tank Reform, has sparked interest in countries including Norway and Singapore.

Mr Dickinson (64) said: ‘The meeting in London could be a watershed. It was called specifically to talk about Call and Check. There will be a lot of senior civil servants there, as well as the Royal Voluntary Service and Royal Mail. Other postal services understand that this is something they could do, and it is an easy concept to understand.’

Mr Dickinson came up with the idea that while on their round, posties could pop in and visit elderly Islanders to ensure that they are safe and well. Any medical concerns can be reported to the person’s GP, and other help can be arranged – like contact with tradespeople and voluntary organisations to help with grocery deliveries. Posties can also deliver repeat prescriptions and remind the elderly about their medication or hospital appointments.

Call and Check was initially tested in St Brelade last year, and its immediate success meant it was also introduced in St Ouen, St Peter and St Mary. There are now more than 100 elderly Islanders being visited by their posties on a regular basis.

A trial in St Helier was also established, although Mr Dickinson said it had run into a few minor problems. ‘The rural projects are very successful but the St Helier project has thrown up a number of problems with timings,’ he explained. ‘At the moment it is not cost-effective, but we are hoping to correct that shortly so we can have an all-Island Call and Check.’

Margaret Tipping and postman Ricky Le Quesne, who visits her as part of the Call and Check serviceJersey Post's Call and Check service could be about to go global. Picture: Andy Le Gresley

The new service has already won a Sunday Times Change Maker award, which recognises projects which have substantial benefits for the community.

Mr Dickinson said that interest has also come from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in the UK, which campaigns against poverty, and academics at Newcastle University, who are interested in studying the project. He has also been contacted by the postal service in Norway, and a professor in the Netherlands who worked with health innovators in Singapore has also taken an interest.

Mr Dickinson said: ‘The message is getting out there but we have to make it happen properly. I am hopeful that Jersey will be seen as a leader in this.’

Jersey Post will continue to fund the project and has not approached the States for funding.

AN army of volunteers is needed to combat loneliness among older Islanders, some of who are getting ‘lost’ in the system, according to a Jersey charity.

Family Nursing and Home Care, which has an agreement with the States to provide community care, has called on Islanders to help improve the lives of elderly people who feel isolated within the community. The charity says that a fifth of the elderly people it visits suffer from social isolation.

And chief executive Julie Gafoor said that simple measures such as chatting to a neighbour or helping them to become more digitally savvy so that they can keep in touch with friends and family who may live away through online technology such as Skype, were key to tackling loneliness, which is linked to conditions such as depression and high blood pressure.

Her comments come after the JEP revealed that hundreds of older Islanders had called Esther Rantzen’s Silver Line helpline for comfort and support last year – more than ten times the number in other places around the UK of a comparable size.

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