A service to provide help and support to vulnerable people in their homes has been praised for how it helps the community.
Cardiff’s Community Alarm has been praised for their work and service they provide to their users.
Following an audit undertaken by Insight Auditors on behalf of the TelecareTelecom Service Authority (TSA) the report concluded that Cardiff’s Community Alarm was a well run and managed service that had moved forward and embraced all elements of the TSA Code of Practice, accredited for three years.
The Cardiff team were set targets as part of the audit and in each area theythe Cardiff team exceed their targets, as the below figures below show: –
Call Response Times: Target 97.50% Actual 97.75%
Mobile Response: Target 80% within 20 minutes, actual 86.00% Applications processed: Target five5 working days, actual two2 working days. Fault and Collection Response: 90% within 48 hours, actual 100%
The Cardiff Community Alarm Service is available to all citizens and communities in Cardiff, offering monitoring and help for older people and people with disabilities, to live safely and independently.
It offers a range of services including reassurance to those who may need to leave their property in an emergency with the community alarm team being able to assist people to safety.
The service is also available to repeat victims of crime including doorstep crime, domestic violence and racial abuse, and can provide lone worker solutions. The service also offers assistance to those who have been discharged from hospital, enabling them to leave with added security.
The alarm also offers reassurance to those who may need to leave their propery in an emergency. The community alarm team can assist people to safety.
The Community Alarm Service is run by Cardiff Council’s Housing and Neighbourhood renewal department and has been operating since 1990.
Over the last few years itthe service has increased its capacity and has seen an unprecedented rise in its client numbers and in the last year alone 267,000 calls have been answered by the team making it one of the busiest services in Wales. The teams mobile warden service has been named the best in Wales by TBC
The service continues to develop and have recently acquired a defibrillator with all staff being trained to use it. This has helped to relieverelief pressure off the emergency services. An agreement has also been put in place so that mobile wardens can use the bus lane whilst responding to an emergency. This has resulted in a quicker response time, recent figures showed mobile wardens responded to 90% of emergencies within 20 minutes
Alongside the report the Community Alarm team have also conductedconduced a client survey which asked user to comment on how they feel the service is run. In call handling and responseResponse a staggering 99% of those questioned said they were satisfied with the service in installation and 98% of those asked were satisfied with the service provided.
Executive Member for Housing, Communities and Social Justice, Cllr Judith Woodman, said: “The Cardiff Community Alarm provides a very important and much needed service to those who are vulnerable in our city. The recent events in the UK have shown that sometimes we all need reassurance that we have someone to help us in an emergency and the Community Alarm offers a direct link to this help and assistance.
“I would encourage people to find out more about how the alarm can help them, especially if they are worried about being isolated in their homes.”
Those who feel they would benefit from the Community Alarm Service should contact Community Alarm Service on telephone number 029 2061 4852 or by email to [email protected]
