Hammersmith & Fulham Council has launched the H&F CAN hotline and email to support vulnerable residents through the coronavirus pandemic.

The freephone 0800 145 6095 and email can@lbhf.gov.uk will be staffed 9am to 7pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 2pm on weekends, offering urgent food deliveries and support for those suffering from loneliness or isolation.

Use our online form to apply for help from H&F CAN

The launch of the Community Aid Network (CAN) follows the extraordinary public response to the call for volunteers with more than 1,500 residents signing up to help.

H&F CAN will be promoted through a huge digital campaign via the council’s social media channels, as well as posters and leaflets across the borough.

Residents who need urgent help - and friends, family or relatives of those who need help - are encouraged to use the online form, call or email for assistance.

H&F staff will then advise callers of support, including arranging for volunteers to do food delivers and refer on to support groups and ward mutual aid networks, or simply arrange a ‘buddy’ phone call to those suffering from loneliness.

H&F Council’s Deputy Leader, Cllr Sue Fennimore, said: “This is the biggest operation in the history of H&F Council and is a remarkable example of the council and the community working hand-in-hand to support our most vulnerable residents.

“Working with the charity and voluntary sector, and the wonderful local mutual aid groups, we want everyone to know we are on their side through this national emergency. Together we are determined to support those most in need at the time of their greatest need.”

H&F Shield is already giving help to the borough’s most vulnerable residents – those with certain underlying health conditions, or who are immunosuppressed (for example because they are on a course of chemotherapy). You can find more information on the help available for Shielded residents here.

H&F CAN volunteers were first called up over the weekend to help sort and pack food parcels for 200 residents who are officially-designated in the NHS’s Shielding programme for those most at risk from COVID-19.

Want to read more news stories like this? Subscribe to our weekly e-news bulletin.