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Careline sackings wrecked the service
• CARELINE was one of the best things introduced by Camden Council, giving assurance to fragile elderly people living alone who accidentally injured themselves.
A spare set of keys was held by Careline under a secret personal code which meant that within 10 to 15 minutes a couple of Careline workers would arrive to cope with the problem.
I could not believe my eyes when I read in the New Journal a second letter from an anonymous correspondent stating that while he or she was out there had been a phone call from Careline requesting the recipient to go round to see what had happened. Years ago a couple of Careline workers would have been round to find out for themselves! When I first became a member we were instructed to make a monthly phone call to Careline and if we forgot we would receive either a phone call or a reminder letter.
When a year or so ago the council felt the need for cuts Councillor Martin Davies pounced on a vulnerable group unable to defend itself, and announced that he would save the council £100,000 yearly by sacking four Careline staff. He also promised that members would be issued with a new pendant which would detect a gas leak or an overflowing bath. I’m still waiting for my new pendant! It is perhaps worth mentioning that some 95 per cent of members pay £240 each annually which would cover the Careline costs.
However, Cllr Davies decided to take out an expensive three-year contract with the Invicta call-centre in Kent to intercept calls to Careline.
Ironically, approximately £100,000 plus subsided meals and travel etcetera is paid out to Cllr Davies and a tiny handful of his colleagues who, like him, also have well-paid day job.
Cllr Davies and his colleagues who pushed through this deal should hang their heads in shame.
They can only redeem themselves by cancelling this infamous contract and re-engaging the four sacked Careline workers before they find themselves called to account over a fatality.
BLANCHE MUNDLAK
Oakley Street,
NW1
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