Bury Council has deployed an application to coordinate requests for support and volunteering through the coronavirus pandemic.
It has worked with ANS Group to build the mobile-friendly Bury Covid-19 Triage App on the Microsoft Power Apps platform, pulling together data on people in the high risk group from a range of sources and formats, along with a request service.
People at risk can contact Bury’s call centre where they are asked questions about what they need, along with details such as any underlying medical conditions and if they have been contacted by the NHS. The answers to which are fed into a triage process then sent to a volunteer hub manager who allocates a person to pick up the task.
The manager can register a new volunteer – supported by a security function to check on disclosure and barring service checks – and can manage the tasks using a map of the area, recording any problems that may arise, such as an incorrect address or the attempted delivery of a wrong prescription.
Volunteers can see details of the jobs they have been allocated on a portal and can register when they have been completed.
Andy Barrow, chief technology officer of ANS, said it is now working on variations of the app for a number of other councils along with different applications based on Power Apps for the NHS and higher education sectors. New functions are being developed as it makes progress with the work.
The company is developing the app for authorities free but charging for support and maintenance once deployed. Users need Microsoft Power Apps licence, which has been made free for the duration of the crisis.
Image from University of Manchester
