Posties will pop in to check on elderly

POSTMEN are to start checking on vulnerable residents during their rounds as part of a Royal Mail scheme.

Checks on the elderly and frail will be introduced as part of a new health division with a trial planned in Northumberland. If successful, the scheme could be rolled out nationally.

Postmen and women already provide a similar role informally as they regularly visit millions of homes and get to know customers. Chief executive Simon Thompson said Royal Mail was still exploring how the scheme would work. ‘If we know that there are vulnerable people in a certain property, there’s an opportunity for us to check,’ he said.

‘And if we check that they’re okay, then how can we alert services to help them out? At the moment we do this quite informally. But actually we could do this formally to provide a unique service to society and our customers.’

No details have been given on funding or if postmen, who are threatening to strike over pay, would be paid more.

Yesterday Age UK’s charity director Caroline Abrahams welcomed any help for older people. But she added: ‘Knowing someone is going to pop in from time to time to check everything is okay may provide some valuable reassurance… but is no substitute for the health and care support older people need.’

Liberal Democrats deputy leader and health spokesman Daisy Cooper praised the initiative, reported in The Times, but added: ‘I can’t help but feel it is also a damning indictment of the state of social care.’

Royal Mail Health is also working on expanding a link with online retailer Pharmacy2U, with an app for NHS patients to order supplies. The market is currently worth 5 per cent of prescriptions.