A cancer patient in distress is on the phone.
She has been trying to get hold of her cancer drugs for the last two weeks, and now has only two days’ supply left.
Chris Beck, a veteran of overseas emergencies with 35 years’ experience, quickly escalates the call to a Red Cross team who can help.
The British Red Cross helpline is a response to the fear that people may be “falling through the cracks” during the coronavirus crisis.
In the past, the support line has been activated to help during UK terror attacks, the Grenfell Tower fire and the infected blood inquiry. Now, it is open for anyone affected by the pandemic.
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Volunteers such as Chris not only help with food parcels and drug deliveries, but – as members of the psychosocial and mental health team – also provide emotional support.
The charity warns that without the right support, some people are at risk of “a secondary impact of the virus”, which could affect health and wellbeing in other ways lasting long beyond the outbreak.
The British Red Cross has developed a Covid-19 Vulnerability Index to identify people in need, using information from local authorities and other sources to build up a map that takes into account health, wellbeing, financial vulnerability and social isolation.
They particularly want to reach people who may be isolating but have no family nearby, can’t get online for help, or have health conditions.
People may be facing other issues, including loneliness, mental health issues, worries about benefits or homelessness.
“We’re especially worried about those who may not be in contact with organisations or support networks, who could ‘fall through the cracks’,” says Norman McKinley, the British Red Cross executive director of UK operations.
The Daily Mirror has partnered with the Red Cross throughout the coronavirus crisis, helping sign up over 70,000 volunteers and raising funds to support initiatives like the helpline.
Chris, 64, is just one of an army of volunteers we have been celebrating during the weeks of lockdown. In the past she’s responded to the Tunisian beach attack and the London bombings.
Now she is herself isolating at home to protect her husband – but is still able to volunteer for six shifts a week on the Red Cross coronavirus support line.
“Normally I would have been going out and doing something, but I can’t,” Chris says. “The fact that I’m able to be part of this response from home is uplifting.”
Chris says a lot of calls are from people who need urgent shopping. “Maybe a neighbour has been getting them some milk and bread, but they haven’t had a proper shop for quite a while,” she says.
“We’re getting calls because people are running out of medicines or need specialist cancer drugs picking up. Some are very vulnerable, while others are ringing for a chat.”
Meanwhile, in Darlington, Shams Abdou-Mussa, 42, is volunteering too. Because he is an asylum seeker, originally from Niger, he isn’t allowed to work, and the coronavirus has made his own situation with the Home Office more complicated. But he is turning his frustration into action.
“Asylum seekers have got many problems, starting with how to get out and do our shopping,” Shams says.
“We are given a card with less than £6 per day for shopping by the Government, but this card can only be used in the shops, it can’t be used online and some people can’t withdraw cash from it, so what can people do if they are self-isolating?
“Many people don’t know anyone who can help to get the shopping. We only receive money on Mondays by which time there is nothing on the shelves. The card has less than £6 per day – what about women who need to buy sanitary towels? We have to help.”
In Bristol, Dan Hunt, a 33-year-old postman for Royal Mail, also recently joined the British Red Cross as an emergency volunteer. Alongside his vital day job he has been delivering food parcels.
“On my rounds I spoke to a lady with learning disabilities who was self-isolating,” he says.
“Her sister’s birthday was coming up and she was in bits because she couldn’t get to the shop to buy her a card. It was causing her a lot of stress.
“It may seem like a small thing but wishing her a happy birthday was the most important thing in the world to her.
"I called her from the shop and described a few of the cards they had on the shelves. She settled on one she liked, and I brought it back for her to sign. I posted it and took a picture, so she knew it was safely on its way.”
As the virus changes every bit of our lives, it’s men and women like Chris, Shams and Dan whose kindnesses are re-stitching the fabric of our country back together.
As Shams says: “This is a bad disease – but if we stick together, understand each other and help each other, we will get through all this.”
