Winter pressures - pathway for professionals

We recognise the challenges affecting everyone during the winter, but these challenges have been intensified this year by the impact of the current financial situation.

People are affected in so many ways, this could be financially or it could have impacted on their health and wellbeing as they may have become lonely and isolated.

The colder months can impact on everyone especially the older and vulnerable members of our community or those living with ill health or long term conditions.

The winter pressures referral form will initiate the process, and once received the health and wellbeing team will work with the client to link them to appropriate support and advice.

Where situations are more complex a worker will be allocated to support an individual, but in all cases the focus will be on enabling the person to help themselves. We recognise that in these difficult times people need more support.

Please complete the winter pressures referral form if your client needs support with any of the following:

• support with getting food (shopping or food bank)
• social isolation
• keeping the home warm, including fuel poverty, winter fuel grants
• home and heating maintenance issues
• energy advice – changing suppliers or tariff
• income maximisation and debt
• employment support
• eviction and homelessness support
• reducing slips and falls – practical help
• accessing flu vaccinations
• health improvement services

Eligibility criteria apply to some of these services. 

If you'd like to make an introduction please complete the winter pressures referral form. You'll be asked to sign up for an account to manage your service requests and accounts with us. This will save you time in the future with auto-completion of your contact information and seeing a history of any other contact you've made.

If you don't want to do this, there's an option to continue without making an account.

Financial assistance for Derbyshire residents

If the client needs financial assistance for food or heating, support is available from the household support fund (HSF). The funding is paid in several different ways.

Children's services colleagues are working closely with frontline staff, schools, nurseries, children's health services and with voluntary sector partners to identify households with children who are facing financial hardship and maximise take up of grant payments through the children's professionals HSF grants for families referral route. If you are a professional working predominately with children and families, please email cs.hsfduty@derbyshire.gov.uk for more information.

Other professionals working predominantly with adult households will be able to refer claimants for grant payments from the fund using the household support fund professionals application form.

More information about support available through the Derbyshire discretionary fund (DDF). You will need the client's National Insurance Number (NINO) to make the referral. Individuals can also telephone: 01629 533399 to make an application.