The outbreak of Coronavirus across the world has affected all of us in some way. Over the coming weeks and months, life will continue to be very different and quite difficult for many of us.

At Nottingham on Call, we are acutely aware that the greatest impact will be felt by the elderly and vulnerable. Keeping our service running for those who are most in need is our primary concern.

We are working hard to make sure our service is not disrupted. This has included bringing colleagues from different sides of the business into our contact centre and training them to deal with customer calls. We are also providing training to existing employees to enable a larger proportion of our team to work from home, or out and about in the community, carrying out installations and call-outs.

A few things to know about our service at the minute:

– We have a number of social distancing measures in place for our contact centre team, who need to be in the office to answer your calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We are doing everything we can to support them to deliver the best service we can to you

– For any new customers, we do now have a self installation process, using our new digital pendant alarms. We provide an alarm that is pre-programmed before it is sent out, so all you need to do is plug in the base unit, test it by pressing the pendant, and our call centre should be on the other end to confirm the line is working.

Our team of engineers will deliver the unit to your door, leave it on the doorstep at a safe social distance, provide a guide on how to install, and answer any questions at the door that you may have. If you still need further assistance in the installation, they will carry out the installation for you, wearing appropriate PPE (personal protective equipment), keeping a safe distance at all times.

– We are here. We have not gone anywhere and will continue to provide the service you expect to receive from us. Our staff have been fantastic. They are key workers and are making sure that our customers are the first priority.

We will continue to find ways to keep our service going, as well as extending the service to new customers that have a need during these challenging times.

Our contact centre team receive calls and alerts from personal care alarms for a wide range of reasons. Our customers must not worry about getting in touch if they are in need of help or assistance.

If you have coronavirus symptoms, please visit the NHS website to get the latest advice on what to do.

It is important that you let us know if you are experiencing symptoms of Coronavirus and/or have gone into self isolation, so we understand the situation if you need us.

If you have not informed us, but you have a need to press your alarm for assistance, please be aware that we will ask you whether you have the virus, or are being kept in isolation, as part of our standard response.

To let us know, you can email us at ask@nottinghamcityhomes.org.uk or complete the form below.