Dismay from Residents Over Loss of Careline Service

Emergency alert system used in Ealing Borough's sheltered housing

Residents could alert a control centre by pressing a button. Picture: Careline

March 7, 2024

A 24-hour alarm service for residents of sheltered housing in the borough of Ealing is to be withdrawn.

Ealing Careline, which employs 15 people, is a call button alert system which allowed elderly and vulnerable residents to get immediate help when they are experiencing difficulties. According to Unison, the trade union that employed the staff, the service answered 124,000 alarm calls over the last year having operated in the borough for 30 years.

People could wear a bracelet, pendant or have a phone unit with a special button which, when pressed, set off an alarm at a control centre that operated 24 hours a day, every day of the year. There are also pull cords in bathrooms in the facilities linked to the service and it is also linked to fire alarms in buildings with speakers for staff to communicate with residents. The proposal is to replace this part of the service with more smoke detectors.

The council has now written to service users saying that the service is being scrapped on 31 March and that they will be given a rent reduction of £4.49 a week to allow them to pay for a similar service from a private sector provider.

However, people affected by the change say that the charges made by alternative providers are much higher than the rent rebate meaning that, if they wish to have the same level of protection, they will be substantially out of pocket.

Clive Ward, who has been resident of sheltered housing in Ealing for the last 18 months said he had been very impressed with the Careline service having seen it in operation.

In a letter he wrote to his councillor he said, “Since I have been here in Walnut Court, I have known four residents here use it and a friend of mine used it at another sheltered housing scheme. Out of the four people in this block that have used the Careline system, three have been taken to hospital and one was very grateful to have Careline there to offer advice and to alert the warden who was then able to check in on her wellbeing. Two of those residents have used the emergency pull cords on multiple occasions and, as a result, have been admitted to hospital. One needed a warden to come and let the paramedics into the property because they could not get to the door. “

Mr Ward says the necessity of Careline has increased since he was a resident due to the reduction in the number of wardens. When he moved in in August 2022, he was told that a warden would be on duty from 9 to 5 Monday to Saturday but that warden went on holiday a few months afterwards never to return. He says that now there is an ad hoc presence with a warden often on site only one or two days a week with staff now required to cover up to four properties.

He adds, “I am sure that the council is aware of its statutory responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable people, but I am wondering if a recent risk assessment has been undertaken. I would have expected this to highlight the significant risks involved in removing the Careline service alongside drastically reducing the time there is a warden on site. The reduction in the amount of time the warden spends on site was done without any explanation to the residents about why this would be done. It feels that the removal of the Careline system is another removal of safeguarding measures, by stealth.

“There are a lot of very lonely and isolated elderly people in these sheltered housing units, many of whom do not have friends or family and who can rarely go out. Having a warden on site is vital for their mental health as it provides reassurance that there is help at hand. Cutting the wardens’ hours (without explanation) in tandem with cutting a service that has for at least 30 years been a lifeline for many and which has saved many lives is preposterous. I cannot help but wonder how many older people will die or suffer because of this decision. Perhaps there is an assumption that the old and vulnerable are an easy target for cost saving as they do not have the resources to speak up?”

He says that the Age UK pendant service costs £22.79 a month with a one off set up fee of £71.99 and the cheapest equivalent offered by BT is £28.40 a month. It is understood that neither of these services would match the provision of Careline with, for instance, no emergency pull cords in communal areas and the other providers’ service would not work outside a resident’s flat.

The rent saving for residents is £17.96 a month and Mr Ward points out that the difference from someone on a low and fixed income takes up a substantial proportion of their disposable income.

Residents were told by a member of council staff responsible for Sheltered Housing that Careline no longer came up to required standards. Also, the cost was set to rise because it was no longer being used by the Ealing Social Care team.

A council spokesperson said, "Ensuring that residents continue to receive the care they need is a council's priority. The difficult decision to close the Careline service was made because there were concerns about the council’s ability to deliver the service to the standards our residents deserve and expect.

“The service was also being heavily subsidised by the council and due to significant pressures on council budgets, we simply cannot afford to continue to do this.

"The service would have required significant upgrades to ensure a safe and high-quality service and there are better placed providers in both the public and private sectors to do this.

"We are now talking and listening to residents about the changes. And we will help them find alternative providers where needed, which will offer more choice and better value for money.“