Vulnerable may be forced to pay extra for phone helpline PLANS TO HIKE FEES PART OF COUNCIL’S CUTBACKS

USERS of a telephone service that allows vulnerable people to continue living safely in their own homes could be forced to pay an extra £1.20 a week as part of council cutbacks.

Telecare is a support package that includes a red button device and a ‘lifeline’ pendant which offers 24-hour assistance for some of Gwynedd’s elderly residents.

But, as part of ongoing cuts, Gwynedd Council is looking to increase the fee to £4.50 a week in a bid to cover its own costs.

The Telecare system works using a variety of home sensors that send a direct message to the monitoring centre if there is an emergency, while also including a red button, a lifeline and a smoke alarm. An operator will then speak to the resident to assess how they can support them, for instance by offering reassurance, contacting a family member or ringing for an ambulance.

At present, many people pay £3.30 a week for the service but the proposed increases have been blamed on continued austerity and dwindling block grants from Cardiff Bay.

Gwynedd is one of 15 coun- cils that will receive less cash during 2019/20, with decisionmakers in the county left to juggle next year’s budget while facing a 0.8% or £1.33m cut from the central Welsh Government settlement.

Cllr Gareth Roberts, the cabinet member for Adult, Health and Wellbeing services, urged anyone who felt unable to afford to pay the fee to follow the instructions included in the letter they will be receiving over the coming week and to contact the council.

But residents who have already been assessed to not pay the current charge are likely to continue receiving the service free of charge.

“As a council we have been able to avoid increasing the fee for the Telecare service for five years and we have not implemented the decision made in January 2017 to charge everyone who receives the service,” he said.

“But because of year-on-year cuts to finances, we no longer have an option but to adjust the fee in order to continue to provide the service.

“The only other option would be to cut back on the Telecare service or introduce other changes which would likely have a detrimental effect on vulnerable people.

“By introducing the changes, users of the basic Telecare service would pay up to 64 pence a day towards the cost of the service. As well as maintaining the day-to-day running of the service, the standard weekly fee would allow us to invest in new technology, ensuring that the equipment we use is of the highest possible standard.

“Despite the decision to charge everyone, it is recommended that anyone who has received a financial assessment stating that they should not pay for their care services, will not be required to pay for their Telecare service.

“We ask that anybody else who is worried that they won’t be able to afford to pay the fee to follow the advice given in the letter they will receive over the coming week. I urge anybody eager to discuss this to contact us as soon as possible so we can see if we can support them.”