Vulnerable forced to pay for emergency ‘Telecare’ service

THOUSANDS of vulnerable people in Birmingham will have to cough up for a lifesaving emergency response system in a cost -cutting exercise set to save the council £1.6 million per year.

From March 6, vulnerable people will have to pay for the Birmingham Telecare Service, currently provided free by Birmingham City Council.

The service, which has saved numerous lives, will no longer be free as the council makes budget cuts to its services.

A spokesman for Birmingham City Council said: “As a council we remain committed to developing our services to ensure citizens are able to maintain their independence for as long as possible.

“However, we now have to fund our services with a much reduced budget. This has resulted in us having to make some difficult decisions around how we deliver our services including those we currently provide in relation to Telecare.

“We have informed those that are not in receipt of a social care package that should they wish to continue to receive a Telecare service in the future they will need to pay for it themselves. We will continue to provide funded Telecare services where the service has been assessed by a social care professional as meeting an eligible need.”

The price for a Telecare service varies by provider and could range from a charge of £8 to £13 a month.