Rose’s sad story really upset me...
I WAS reading the Mail on Saturday and the sweet face of an old lady caught my eye enough to read what looked to be a very sad story.
Rose Belk, aged 93, died after activating an accident alert button she wore on a lanyard.
Then my eye snagged on where Rose lived – here, Barnsley. I was in bits by the end of the article.
This poor old lady, who paid every month for the call service – probably well worth it she must have thought for peace of mind – was badly let down because the ineptitude of the call handler she just happened to connect with cost her her life.
Rose, known as ‘Dolly’, died alone and in pain after activating her emergency button but the call handler, in a noisy office, couldn’t hear her.
Really? So we have call handlers working in conditions where they can’t hear life or death calls? The operator just cut off the call saying she was going to ring her son.
She probably couldn’t hear her quiet voice because the old lady was in so much pain and could barely talk.
But that call handler didn’t ring an ambulance or her son, and when he went to hers later, he found her in a state of shock still on the floor having suffered a painful heart attack.
His mother died and I can only imagine his own pain and anger.
The son took the council to court, not because he wanted any money, which was a pathetic pittance anyway when it was awarded, but because he wanted the council to accept responsibility.
There was a recording of an old lady crippled by pain, asking for help and an operator ending the call and taking the matter no further, despite saying they would.
I had been thinking about one of these pendants for my own mother, but I don’t think I’ll take the risk. What I can’t get my head around is that the council said in a statement they have ‘refreshed training’ to avoid a repeat.
Eh? So operators actually need a training refresh to remind them not to just cut off emergency calls made by vulnerable people?
If you take up the mantle of such a responsible job, shouldn’t empathy and common sense be entry level requirements? How scary.
■ Luckiest boy on the planet is the one who appeared from nowhere on a scooter flying across the road by Chennells, just as I was turning right up by the Post Office.
He hadn’t checked the road for traffic and if I hadn’t braked hard, he would have been a coating for my tyres.
The amount of schoolchildren we see when driving who just cross roads without even looking to see what’s coming, I can’t believe there aren’t more accidents.
They are certainly a lot of foots being stamped on brakes.
Kids, you are not immortal and it only takes a distracted driver in charge of a ton of metal to make you realise that.
Where’s the Green Cross Code man when you need him?
■ Heads up for an evening event in the Civic on October 27 for all Barry Hines fans.
Sheffield-based publisher ‘And Other Stories’ are reissuing a selection of Barry’s novels starting with The Gamekeeper.
To mark the publication, there will be a screening of the film adapted by Ken Loach and a series of short talks on Barry and his legacy.
It promises to be a wonderful evening for fans.
Tickets are £8 and can be bought via barnsleycivic.co.uk.