Ealing Council Challenged on Careline Closure
Public meeting to be held about cancellation of service
Campaigners against the scrapping of Careline ahead of Tuesday's council meeting
April 18, 2024
The campaign to reverse the decision to close the Ealing Careline service is stepping up its activities.
Two questions were raised by members of the public at this Tuesday’s (16 April) Ealing Council meeting. Roy Willis, Chair of Ealing Reclaim Social Care Action Group (ERSCAG) asked Cllr Josh Blacker, Cabinet Member for Healthy Lives about what assurances he could give to the 3,000 former subscribers to the Ealing Careline service that an equivalent emergency Telecare service would be put in place.
Alex Cowan, Chair of Direct Payment User Group asked the same councillor when a responder service will be set up for Ealing residents because at present there is no responder service using Harrow Careline or any other Careline provider.
They described the answers received as 'very formulaic' with no further explanation of the decision provided.
Liberal Democrat Councillor Andrew Steed also raised the issue at the meeting saying there was confusion as to the reasoning behind dropping the service and was told that the service was subsidised although details on the level of subsidy were not provided.
Cllr Steed said, “The Liberal Democrats said the changes will mean that many users may be a lot more for the same type of service. The Labour-run Ealing Council have brought the changes in quickly and with no consultation, meaning that many users have felt uneasy about the changes. When I pressed the Council for details in the public meeting, sadly they have not responded with a clear answer. This will not reassure users.”
Conservative Cllr Seema Kumar asked Cllr Bassam Mahfouz if the council should continue to provide a single, comprehensive service including for those residents for whom the council does not have a statutory obligation to provide it for and Labour's Cllr Ben Wesson wanted an update on how the council is supporting residents switching fromEaling Careline to Harrow Careline
The council announced the decision to close the 24/7 emergency call-out system used by elderly and disabled people in the borough earlier this year. According to the union which employed Careline staff, the service answered 124,000 alarm calls last year. ERSCAG, which non-party political organisation composed of members of the public, says that the views of most current users of the service were not sought. The council has told them that, if they continue to need the service, there are alternative private sector providers they can use but these are considerably more expensive.
ERSCAG has written to all Ealing borough councillors expressing its concerns including the decision itself, the transition process, and the lack of adequate consultation. Questions have also been submitted to two relevant council committees and ERSCAG attended a briefing organised by Cllr Wesson as well as with Cllr Mahfouz, the Cabinet member responsible for the decision.
A public meeting organised by ERSCAG along with the Campaign for Action in Sheltered Housing and ACORN Community Union is being held on Wednesday 24 April, at 11am at Walnut Court, 14a Rowan Close, (W5 4YN).
Cllr Mahfouz is unable to attend the meeting as he is standing for a seat on the Greater London Assembly, but ERSCAG have invited Peter Mason and other councillors will attend and hear from users of Sheltered Housing and Adult Social Care to discuss the impact of the closure of Careline on their lives.
ERSCAG says, “Hopefully, these exchanges will require the Council to change its mind or, at the very least, to ensure that the transition to other providers is slowed until we can ensure a like-for-like service. “
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