Mutual Aid groups were 'crucial' to coronavirus response and should be helped to continue, report finds

Spontaneous mutual aid groups were "crucial" to the Covid-19 response in supporting millions of vulnerable people, and both councils and Government should invest in their development, a new report has said.
Age UK Sheffield volunteers taking food parcels from St Mary's Church in Sheffield in the city to be distributed to the elderly and vulnerable in April. Picture: Gary LongbottomAge UK Sheffield volunteers taking food parcels from St Mary's Church in Sheffield in the city to be distributed to the elderly and vulnerable in April. Picture: Gary Longbottom
Age UK Sheffield volunteers taking food parcels from St Mary's Church in Sheffield in the city to be distributed to the elderly and vulnerable in April. Picture: Gary Longbottom

The New Local Government Network (NGLN) think-tank has recommended ways that these groups, many of whom sprung up on social networking apps like Facebook and WhatsApp in the early days of lockdown, can continue to support their neighbourhoods and sustain a kinder, more collaborative society after the pandemic is over.

Mutual Aid groups took on tasks such as shopping and medicine delivery as well as offering emotional support to people who were vulnerable or shielding.

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Key to the groups’ success was the involvement of working-aged people who were furloughed, and the report recommends introducing flexible working practices to give these people “more time to be better neighbours” as the pandemic eases.

The research also showed that the small size of these groups was key to their success, and they were able to act more quickly and have a more positive impact than big, government-led schemes like the GoodSam NHS app.

In future, local authorities could support the continuation of these groups by coordinating volunteers or providing spaces - funded by the Government, the report added.

Conservative MP for Devizes, Danny Kruger, who wrote the forward to the report, has now been asked by Boris Johnson to review how the government can make the most of the Voluntary and Community Sector in the UK’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

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He said: “We need a new recognition by national and local government of the latent capability of communities; and an expectation - incentivised and even mandated by policy - that we must make use of this capability.”

Senior Policy Researcher at NLGN and report co-author, Simon Kaye, said: “The Mutual Aid phenomenon is a powerful demonstration of the potential for community power in the UK. We now need to focus on how community collaboration can outlast this crisis and make our places more resilient in future.

“For this to happen, lessons must be learnt. National government must resolve to empower

localities and give people the free time they need to be better neighbours. Councils, meanwhile, must recognise the crucial role they can play and the make-or-break power they often wield over community groups.”

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Dawn Hirons, who founded the Mutual Aid group ‘Howden Helpers’ in East Riding, said: “Seeing the community pulling together was absolutely amazing. People have created bonds that weren’t there before - people who used to know one neighbour now know most of their street.

“I can definitely see our Mutual Aid work continuing outside of the pandemic – there are so many people willing to help. We don’t know the limits of what this town can do.

“On a bigger scale - something has to be done to harness all this good will and community spirit that’s come to the fore all over the country during this crisis. It’s been like nothing we’ve seen before.”

The research comes as new data shows that more than half a million tasks were completed by the NHS army of volunteers recruited to help local communities during the pandemic.

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The scheme has been made available to councils, charities and NHS staff - with almost 600,000 signing up to help vulnerable people when it launched three months ago.

The system used geo-location to pinpoint the nearest volunteer and where possible tasks were matched and delivered within 24 hours by the 360,000 volunteers who were active during lockdown.

Volunteers helped to deliver food and medicines, and chatted to those isolating alone through thousands of "check-in and chat" phone calls.

They have also helped people to get to and from hospital appointments.

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Catherine Johnstone, chief executive of the Royal Voluntary Service - the charity delivering the scheme, said: "To reach this significant milestone is testament to the goodwill of our nation who have come together to tackle this virus.

"Through the scale of our network, the NHS Volunteer Responders scheme has and will continue to provide a vital safety net for all people in need of support across England and we can't thank our volunteers enough.

"Our volunteers are important eyes and ears on the ground, and not only are they helping to do the day to day tasks that those isolating may not be able to do, but they are also playing a vital role in identifying individuals who need additional support."