By joining up with the Reading Community Learning Centre, Anita Donovan – who works across Thames Valley as SSEN’s Customer and Community Advisor – was able to chat informally about SSEN’s Priority Services Register (PSR) to women attending the centre throughout the day.
Established in 2007, the charity seeks to help ethnic minority women and their families, living in Reading and had invited Anita to speak about the additional services the distribution operator can offer to vulnerable customers, should they experience an interruption to their power supplies; either unplanned as a result of adverse weather or as part of planned essential works.
SSEN’s Anita Donovan explains further:
“I was delighted to be able to attend two of the classes at the centre and to be able to chat freely to the women, tutors and outreach workers about the services we can provide that are both free of charge and can bring them peace of mind if they, or a family member are vulnerable.
“The Priority Services Register (PSR) provides additional help during power cuts and covers a wide range of vulnerabilities, such as an elderly resident or even a new baby coming home for the first time.
“As well as our face-to-face discussions and guidance at events such as these, we can provide information on PSR through leaflets in eleven different languages, so families can take them home and share the details of the service with others who may not use English as their first language.”
She continued:
“I’d advise everyone to find out about PSR and, if they are eligible, to sign up and join the many people across Thames Valley who already benefit from this service. The information and the registration are easy to access, so please take five minutes today to see if PSR can assist you, a family member or friend.”
Through SSEN’s Priority Services Register, customers who could find themselves in a vulnerable situation during planned or unplanned power outages are offered free extra support, which varies according to the individual customer's needs.
Customers are eligible for the Priority Services Register if they:
- Are deaf or hard of hearing
- Have a disability
- Live with children under five
- Are blind or partially sighted
- Have a chronic illness
- Use medical equipment/aids reliant on electricity
- Are over 60
- Temporarily need extra support
For more information on our Priority Services Register, click here or call 0800 294 3259. SSEN’s PSR information leaflets are available in 11 different languages.
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