What price or cost do you put on a life?
Is it worth for example a free fortnightly brown bin collection?
Or perhaps council recycling centres being open 7 days a week at all sites?
Or free waste bulky item collections available to all residents?
Maybe free skips placed in strategic places throughout a borough?
Is a life worth a £10K pay rise to the council's chief executive, making their salary larger than the Prime Minister's for running a borough rather than a country?
Is a life worth a proposed increase in Councillors pay?
Is a life worth a proposed £2.9 million investment in council IT systems?
Or maybe you think a life is worth the cost that the council contributes towards Remembrance Day parades?
These examples are all paid for by Walsall Council via your council tax and government grants or are part of expenditure that has been agreed to be spent in the very near future.
I could go on but enough of examples of how life can be costed at a local council level, let's cut to the nitty gritty. In October the Cabinet of Walsall Council agreed to axe the Adult Community Alarm System. Apparently it is not fit for purpose. In this case read, it needs financial investment because the IT systems that it runs on are a little outdated plus apparently it costs too much to run.
What cost a life?
IF YOU ARE JUST LOOKING TO SIGN THE PETITION PLEASE CLICK HERE
The decision was taken after so called consultation with service users and those with an interest in the service who more or less wholeheartedly said they wanted the system to remain in place and be run by the Council. Most people are very happy with the service and don't notice that it is not, so it said by leaders, fit for purpose.
Adults of all ages use the service from young disabled adults to elderly adults. They all use it for the same reason; to help maintain some sort of independence whilst remaining in their own homes. Some of these adults are entitled to claim PIP or Attendance Allowance, an acknowledgment by central government that when you are disabled and/or elderly and infirm, you have increased living costs due to your disabilities. The allowances are not generous but they do help to pay for carers, transport and so on. There is no spare capacity with this money. Consider the costs of employing carers for example.
The alarm system allows for an adult who has it, to be able to push a button on a pendant worn around the neck if they have fallen or need help. The system also is connected to smoke alarms and the fire service is automatically notified if smoke is detected. Some users also have a key safe installed outside their properties so that key holders can gain easy access to the property if something awful has happened to the system user.
These are the lives. People with disabilities who wish to remain independent and by doing so save the social care and NHS millions of pounds by doing so. It isn't just the cost of providing an alarm system that should be taken into account by local councils but the whole process and what services would be affected by its abolition.
My own Father uses the service. It gives me peace of mind knowing that if he falls or has another health problem whilst I am not there, help will soon be at hand via that little button.
A few weeks ago Amy Jarvis started a petition to ask the council to reconsider what was then still a proposal to abolish the personal alarms system in Walsall. I asked Amy why she had done this. These are her words:
"I started this petition against the cutting alarm systems based on my own experiences. My husband has primary progressive multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, self dislocations and rheumatoid arthritis. He is only 38. I am his carer. On 4th October, they installed his alarm. Three weeks later I found out through the news, that the alarm system was being cut.
The alarm system doesn't just benefit my husband. It benefits me too. It means I can go out with our kids for a while, and not worry that he has fallen and injured himself, and is laying on the floor, alone.
I knew something had to be done, but didn't know what. So I started the online petition. The response to it was overwhelming, so I have since decided to collect physical signatures as well, gather stories from people who this cut will impact, and organize demonstrations and protests. Thankfully, since the online petition has reached 1500 signatures, the council now has to hold a public debate in the new year."
You can find Amy's petition HERE More signatures are needed. You will note from the wording that I reproduce below, is not political. No parties are named. Amy merely asks the Council to reconsider. There was no political prompting from a party behind her decision to start it, just her own difficult circumstances as outlined above. Amy went to the Social Services Scrutiny Committee meeting last night in an attempt to change minds. Unfortunately when it came to the vote, the councillors there did make it political by voting only per party lines.
So I ask again, what price a life? If you consider a life is worth more than some if not all the examples I gave at the start of this post then please sign the petition, please support Amy when her petition is debated at full council in January and please consider how you cast your vote in the local elections to be held in May. Let's send a strong message to our local politicians about what we consider is the price of a life.
This is the wording of the petition:
"On Wednesday 24th October, Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council, decided to scrap an alarm system that is a lifeline for many disabled adults, and elderly people across the borough. The alarm is designed to worn round the neck or wrist, and is pressed if the service user needs immediate assistance due to a fall, or similar situation. The contact centre then attempts to contact the service user, and if the service user doesn't respond, they call the listed emergency contact. This service costs the council approximately £1.3 million per year.
The service is currently used by 7000 people within the borough, both elderly and disabled. It is literally a lifeline for those who use it, not only enabling them to get emergency help, but also for their carers, who are able to take short breaks away from the home without worry of their loved one being left on the floor.
Despite spending £3 million pounds to upgrade their IT systems, it has been deemed that £1.3 million on a LIFE SAVING SYSTEM, is not 'viable'.
'The service is no longer fit for service without significant investment that the council does not have.' Councillor Rose Martin.
In addition, there have been further cuts to adult social care within the borough. 29th September 2017 saw the permanent closure of the Independent Living Centre. The ILC offered support in terms of mobility scooter rental, aids and adaptations, occupational therapy assessments, blue badge assessments, as well as sign posting to support for benefits advice, and health and social care support.
Early 2018 saw the closure of the Welfare Rights Team. This service offered the vulnerable and disabled, the chance to receive expert advice and support with applications for benefits and grants to improve the quality of life for those who were in need. The Welfare Rights Team now only offers a skeletal service.
Overall, those requesting help and support from adult social services, are often being left months and months without access to services that are desparately needs, and essential for long term quality of life for the elderly and disabled. Services being cut, budgets being cut, teams being stripped to the bare minimum, are all causing extreme distress to users who need access to help and support in able to have any form of quality of life.
We, the undersigned, hereby request Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council stop cutting essential services that are needed for quality of life in vulnerable adults."
Please sign the petition HERE
Is it worth for example a free fortnightly brown bin collection?
Or perhaps council recycling centres being open 7 days a week at all sites?
Or free waste bulky item collections available to all residents?
Maybe free skips placed in strategic places throughout a borough?
Is a life worth a £10K pay rise to the council's chief executive, making their salary larger than the Prime Minister's for running a borough rather than a country?
Is a life worth a proposed increase in Councillors pay?
Is a life worth a proposed £2.9 million investment in council IT systems?
Or maybe you think a life is worth the cost that the council contributes towards Remembrance Day parades?
These examples are all paid for by Walsall Council via your council tax and government grants or are part of expenditure that has been agreed to be spent in the very near future.
I could go on but enough of examples of how life can be costed at a local council level, let's cut to the nitty gritty. In October the Cabinet of Walsall Council agreed to axe the Adult Community Alarm System. Apparently it is not fit for purpose. In this case read, it needs financial investment because the IT systems that it runs on are a little outdated plus apparently it costs too much to run.
What cost a life?
IF YOU ARE JUST LOOKING TO SIGN THE PETITION PLEASE CLICK HERE
The decision was taken after so called consultation with service users and those with an interest in the service who more or less wholeheartedly said they wanted the system to remain in place and be run by the Council. Most people are very happy with the service and don't notice that it is not, so it said by leaders, fit for purpose.
Adults of all ages use the service from young disabled adults to elderly adults. They all use it for the same reason; to help maintain some sort of independence whilst remaining in their own homes. Some of these adults are entitled to claim PIP or Attendance Allowance, an acknowledgment by central government that when you are disabled and/or elderly and infirm, you have increased living costs due to your disabilities. The allowances are not generous but they do help to pay for carers, transport and so on. There is no spare capacity with this money. Consider the costs of employing carers for example.
The alarm system allows for an adult who has it, to be able to push a button on a pendant worn around the neck if they have fallen or need help. The system also is connected to smoke alarms and the fire service is automatically notified if smoke is detected. Some users also have a key safe installed outside their properties so that key holders can gain easy access to the property if something awful has happened to the system user.
These are the lives. People with disabilities who wish to remain independent and by doing so save the social care and NHS millions of pounds by doing so. It isn't just the cost of providing an alarm system that should be taken into account by local councils but the whole process and what services would be affected by its abolition.
My own Father uses the service. It gives me peace of mind knowing that if he falls or has another health problem whilst I am not there, help will soon be at hand via that little button.
A few weeks ago Amy Jarvis started a petition to ask the council to reconsider what was then still a proposal to abolish the personal alarms system in Walsall. I asked Amy why she had done this. These are her words:
"I started this petition against the cutting alarm systems based on my own experiences. My husband has primary progressive multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, self dislocations and rheumatoid arthritis. He is only 38. I am his carer. On 4th October, they installed his alarm. Three weeks later I found out through the news, that the alarm system was being cut.
The alarm system doesn't just benefit my husband. It benefits me too. It means I can go out with our kids for a while, and not worry that he has fallen and injured himself, and is laying on the floor, alone.
I knew something had to be done, but didn't know what. So I started the online petition. The response to it was overwhelming, so I have since decided to collect physical signatures as well, gather stories from people who this cut will impact, and organize demonstrations and protests. Thankfully, since the online petition has reached 1500 signatures, the council now has to hold a public debate in the new year."
You can find Amy's petition HERE More signatures are needed. You will note from the wording that I reproduce below, is not political. No parties are named. Amy merely asks the Council to reconsider. There was no political prompting from a party behind her decision to start it, just her own difficult circumstances as outlined above. Amy went to the Social Services Scrutiny Committee meeting last night in an attempt to change minds. Unfortunately when it came to the vote, the councillors there did make it political by voting only per party lines.
So I ask again, what price a life? If you consider a life is worth more than some if not all the examples I gave at the start of this post then please sign the petition, please support Amy when her petition is debated at full council in January and please consider how you cast your vote in the local elections to be held in May. Let's send a strong message to our local politicians about what we consider is the price of a life.
This is the wording of the petition:
"On Wednesday 24th October, Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council, decided to scrap an alarm system that is a lifeline for many disabled adults, and elderly people across the borough. The alarm is designed to worn round the neck or wrist, and is pressed if the service user needs immediate assistance due to a fall, or similar situation. The contact centre then attempts to contact the service user, and if the service user doesn't respond, they call the listed emergency contact. This service costs the council approximately £1.3 million per year.
The service is currently used by 7000 people within the borough, both elderly and disabled. It is literally a lifeline for those who use it, not only enabling them to get emergency help, but also for their carers, who are able to take short breaks away from the home without worry of their loved one being left on the floor.
Despite spending £3 million pounds to upgrade their IT systems, it has been deemed that £1.3 million on a LIFE SAVING SYSTEM, is not 'viable'.
'The service is no longer fit for service without significant investment that the council does not have.' Councillor Rose Martin.
In addition, there have been further cuts to adult social care within the borough. 29th September 2017 saw the permanent closure of the Independent Living Centre. The ILC offered support in terms of mobility scooter rental, aids and adaptations, occupational therapy assessments, blue badge assessments, as well as sign posting to support for benefits advice, and health and social care support.
Early 2018 saw the closure of the Welfare Rights Team. This service offered the vulnerable and disabled, the chance to receive expert advice and support with applications for benefits and grants to improve the quality of life for those who were in need. The Welfare Rights Team now only offers a skeletal service.
Overall, those requesting help and support from adult social services, are often being left months and months without access to services that are desparately needs, and essential for long term quality of life for the elderly and disabled. Services being cut, budgets being cut, teams being stripped to the bare minimum, are all causing extreme distress to users who need access to help and support in able to have any form of quality of life.
We, the undersigned, hereby request Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council stop cutting essential services that are needed for quality of life in vulnerable adults."
Please sign the petition HERE
No comments:
Post a Comment