While Clap for Carers has finished, the applause never ends for Cumbria's key workers.

Care co-ordinators throughout the county are being praised for their vital work during the pandemic, ensuring everyone is supported and healthy in lockdown and beyond.

Based in many GP practices across north Cumbria, their patients are often elderly or vulnerable people who they devote their lives to in order to help.

And Cockermouth Castlegate and Derwent Surgery's Anne Stoddart and Alex Corbett are no different.

While the duo and their team were forced to halt home visits due to coronavirus, their care never stopped, quickly putting together a phone welfare service, and visiting patients again when restrictions eased, building patients' confidence and happiness immediately.

Anne said: “Lockdown was a worrying time, particularly thinking of the impact that the pandemic could have on mental health and physical activity levels of people who were shielding.

"Many patients also lost their support network due to family members also shielding.

"We wanted to find ways to inspire and to connect with people struggling with isolation and maintaining their independence, and so started using opportunities where we could have a conversation with patients, and encourage them to take steps to improve their health or seek support where they needed it, while keeping us all safe.”

Alex added: “We were concerned about patients who had seen their mobility suffer during lockdown, and so established socially distanced walks where we could join patients from a distance to build confidence and help them build stamina, whilst giving them the reassurance someone was nearby.

"We also provide exercise ideas to help people who work at home, and we’re available on the phone to provide encouragement.”

Patients have fully appreciated the warmth and opportunity to connect with health services without the need for a medical appointment, allowing them to make connections that will be valuable throughout the winter months.

Dr Amanda Boardman, lead GP for safeguarding in north Cumbria, said: “The care co-ordinators have been doing all sorts of things to keep vulnerable and older people safe and supported, and to battle loneliness and deterioration in health, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"As well as providing support over the phone, they’ve been taking advantage of the good weather to do socially distanced visits using appropriate PPE.

"There are stories of this fabulous work from every town across north Cumbria, and patients love this approach and have responded well.”

The wonderful staff are highly valued by their GP teams, giving clinicians more time to focus on medical issues, and providing assurance that potential problems are picked up early to allow speedy intervention.

Ed Tallis, Director of Primary Care for NHS North Cumbria CCG, said: “Anne and Alex are a really fantastic example of how our primary care teams are changing to support patients in a range of ways.

"It’s no longer a case that seeing the GP is the only or the right option – a range of new roles are helping patients to stay well and confident, and the Cockermouth care co-ordinators are a great example of those roles developing in GP Practices across north Cumbria.”