Vulnerable people take a chance on their health as a third leave Dudley Telecare over £250 charge
Thousands of vulnerable pensioners are now facing emergencies alone after a third of Dudley Telecare customers refused to pay for the service.
Dudley Council imposed a £21.30 a month charge for the alarm system which had been free since its inception in 2010.
More than 1,000 pensioners and disabled people decided to take a chance with their safety and returned their SOS alarms.
Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Member for Public Health and Adult Social Care Adam Aston warned his Conservative counterpart lives could be lost due to the charge which was introduced on October 1.
Councillor Aston asked the Cabinet Member for Public Health and Adult Social Care, Councillor Matt Rogers how many service users had cancelled their contracts since the increase came in.
Councillor Rogers replied that in just 2 weeks, one third of customers had left.
Upper Gornal and Woodsetton Councillor Aston said: “There were 3800 vulnerable Council tenants who received the Telecare service in Dudley free of charge and as I predicted, due to the unaffordable increase, many have left. But I never expected that in less than a fortnight, it would be as many as a third of customers’’.
He added ‘’This is terrible news as the reduced income could put the whole service at risk as well as the risk to the health and safety of those customers who have been forced to make this decision.
"To make this increase at this time, is a false economy, not only for the NHS for whom pressure will now increase, but for the Council too, which may struggle with existing income to provide a comprehensive service’’
Councillor Aston works as a paramedic and has seen the devastation a fall can have on the vulnerable if they are not sent help.
He said: "The consequences of spending hours on the floor can include pressure sores, hypothermia and acute kidney failure even if the person didn’t suffer an injury from the fall. The cost to the NHS would likely dwarf that of proving the service in the first place."
Telecare customer Kevan Roseby slammed Dudley Council's handling of the situation.
He said: "There have been threatening letters, "to occupier", lots of jumbled information, just basically, we are charging you now and upgrading system, but how?
"All at a time when everyone knows people are suffering horribly. It is an ill conceived plan, horribly executed with a rubbish letter which clearly stated threat my system goes off."
He added: "I'm possibly capable of paying it with yet another set back, cutting something else off, the heating is off currently, I've to cancel my life insurance, someone will bury me I'm sure, but I've cancelled Telecare."
He added: “We appreciate the implementation of charging will present concern for some of our users, but alternative schemes are more expensive and are unable to offer the 24/7 local response and assistance that we can provide.
“I would encourage all residents who receive help in relation to Council Tax, due to being in receipt of a low-income benefits, to get in touch as they could be eligible for a discount on community alarm charges."
Dudley's Telecare was seen as a pioneering system which councils across introduced, pensioners across the country are hoping charging will fail to ensure other authorities.
