Jo Dufficy – Customers Director, Chair Cllr Sam North and Aron Woolnough – Assistive Technology Service Manager
It’s official! Herts Careline’s award-winning community alarm and telecare service is celebrating 40 years of providing reassurance and freedom to Hertfordshire residents.
Herts Careline support over 16,000 residents across the county, with support and advice available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, often taking 1,500 calls a day.
They provide assistive technology such as pendant alarms, fall detectors, door sensors, smoke detectors and epilepsy monitors which help those living with medical conditions, old age and vulnerabilities to live more independently in their own homes, in turn providing great reassurance to their families that they are being supported.
Across four decades, Herts Careline has grown from being a service for North Hertfordshire residents, to now changing lives across the whole of Hertfordshire since partnering with Hertfordshire County Council in 2014.
To mark 40 years of providing a reliable, resilient, trustworthy service to the community, Herts Careline is looking back at its history, reminiscing over its achievements and how advancements in technology has allowed the service to continually develop and advance the support it offers. From the beginning of plug-in telephone lines and paper medical records to now offering a whole host of intelligent technology which can manage people’s independence at home. The service has come a long way and has supported so many people.
Celebrate with us by inviting some feathered friends into your garden
New customers who join the service during July and August will receive a gift of a bird food Suet Love Hearts as a little memento of the occasion. It’s thought that birdwatching is pleasing for improving mental health and wellbeing; and watching garden birds can be a meditative activity, so please enjoy this little life pleasure from us.
Councillor Judi Billing, Executive Member for Community Engagement at North Herts Council said: “We’re over the moon to reach our 40th anniversary. With over 30 call operators working around the clock to keep everyone safe and supported and a dedicated team of managers, engineers and administration support, our Herts Careline team is proud to care for people who want to live in their own homes for longer to maintain their independence. I’d like to extend a special thank you to all of the Careline staff and to our previous Executive Members, in particular Bernard Lovewell and Gary Grindal whose valuable work helped the service develop and grow over the four decades. As we celebrate Careline turning 40 we will hold Gary in our thoughts following his death in June."
David Coolbear, Strategic Lead for Assistive Technology at Hertfordshire County Council said: “Hertfordshire County Council is committed to ensuring our residents live a healthy and fulfilling life. The assistive technology that Herts Careline provides plays a vital role in helping residents live safely and independently in their own homes. We’re thrilled to celebrate 40 years of this innovative support service. We are also working closely with Herts Careline to pilot new digitally enabled assistive technology to enable our residents to remain in their own home for longer, provide added reassurance for family carers and support safer hospital discharges. The move to a more digital support offer provides an exciting opportunity to be able to support our residents in a more preventative manner as well as increasing resident choice over their care needs.”
If you or someone you know needs help, please visit www.care-line.co.uk call 0300 999 2 999 or email carelinesupport@north-herts.gov.uk
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