CHARITY leaders say they are concerned about plans to axe the Careline response service relied on by 1,200 elderly people.

Alison Ambrose, chief executive of Age UK Carlisle and Eden, fears the cuts will leave some people without support.

Careline provides personal alarms and sensors which trigger a response when activated.

The aim is to allow elderly customers to live independently, with support on hand in an emergency.

Riverside, which runs it, plans to stop the response arm of the service from April 22, with the loss of 22 jobs.

It will continue to run the telecare monitoring service but Mrs Ambrose is concerned that without staff on the ground, it will not be enough.


Alison Ambrose “Personally I have concerns. We’ve always had a really good relationship with the response team attached to Careline.

“We’ve called them when we’ve had a lunch club or similar and not been able to get in touch with someone,

“If it goes to a remote call centre and are only able to contact next of kin, what will happen if they aren’t available?

“Will it be the emergency services who are called? Surely that’s going to impact on our already overstretched ambulance service,” she explained. “Also what about people who have no family in the local area who can then check on them? Who will respond?

“We’ve had a few people phoning up expressing concerns. It’s quite reassuring for people to have, especially if they have family who have moved away. It is a concern.”

Dawn Kenyon, chief executive of Carlisle Carers, said: “I know there are an awful lot of people who use Careline. It’s obviously going to have a lot of impact, particularly on carers.

“There is an ever-decreasing circle of support. Services are becoming less and less yet the need is actually growing. That’s a big concern for us. It has a direct impact on unpaid carers.”

An online petition set up by the Carlisle Labour Party to save the service now has more than 500 signatures.

Beth Furneaux, Cumbria County Council’s cabinet member for health and care services, has also called for talks with Riverside to discuss the implications.

Staff were told about the cuts last week.