There was a furious response after the social landlord Riverside announced plans to axe its Careline emergency response service in Carlisle as part of an effort to plug a £7.5m hole in its finances.
Supporters said that the service – which helps around 1,200 people in the Carlisle area – is a vital part of allowing vulnerable elderly people to continue living in their own homes.
Campaigners and unions joined together in opposing the closure plan, which would have involved the loss of 22 jobs.
But Riverside officials have now confirmed that a deal involving other unnamed organisations which are interested in taking over the vital service is likely to be announced over the next few days.
The planned shake-up of Careline services would have included the “telecare alarm” element of the service being run from a call centre in Liverpool, but an end of the ‘response service’ from April 1.
Carlisle City Council leader Colin Glover has confirmed that the negotiations were underway to fellow councillors.
The planned changes would have meant the emergency services being called to help customers who activate their alarms in times of need or emergency if they could not be reached.
A spokeswoman for Riverside told the News & Star: “Riverside is in discussion with other organisations about the provision of the response service currently run by Careline.
“We have not finalised an agreement but hope to do so in the next few days.
“Once we have agreement we will then inform our existing customers about the service.”
The movement was welcomed by Lee Sherriff, the Labour Carlisle city councillor who represents Harraby, and who organised a protest against the planned closure last month.
She said: “Obviously it’s great that it looks like the service will be saved because there were job losses, but it’s such a vital service to people in the city and their families as well. To lose something like this would have been catastrophic.
“It’s welcome news that Riverside has obviously listened to the concerns of people who use and support the service and is looking to find an alternative rather than shutting it down completely.
“It’s testament to the staff and the people who took part in the protest for helping Riverside to take notice.
“Hopefully those elderly and vulnerable service users will still get a good service, as well as their families retaining their peace of mind.“This wasn’t the ideal solution as there are still members of Careline staff who will lose their jobs, unfortunately.”
Riverside has always maintained that its Careline and Telecare services offer individuals and their families peace of mind.
Customers pay for personal alarms and sensors in their homes, and these can be activated in an emergency.
When alarms are activated, staff try to make contact with customers directly and arrange the best response.
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