Vulnerable residents may lose wardens service in shake-up

Jeni Harvey

ALMOST 4,000 vulnerable people in Doncaster could lose their existing warden service under sweeping changes being considered by the council.

Council chiefs have launched a consultation on plans to “delete” the existing warden service, in which wardens visit elderly and vulnerable people in their homes, and instead recruit a team of volunteers.

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Those volunteers would take part in a “befriending scheme” and visit pensioners at home to stop them becoming lonely.

Other plans being considered will involve bringing in a “new and modern” alarm system and overhauling the council’s mobile warden service.

The proposed mobile team of wardens, set to be introduced on April 1 next year, would only be on hand for those who need help in an “emergency or crisis”.

At present, 3,941 people in Doncaster have a council warden who visits them at home. Wardens currently check people are all right and arrange social activities – whereas the new mobile service would respond solely in emergencies.

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Doncaster Council’s cabinet member for adult services, Patricia Schofield, said: “The council is committed to delivering a modern and flexible replacement service that is fair and provides a choice to all residents who want and need it, as well as having a good service that offers best value for money.

“Through sharing our proposals with residents, I hope we can now really begin to make progress in looking at the best way these things can be achieved.

“I encourage residents to make time over the next few weeks to complete and return their questionnaires to us so their important views can be taken into account.”

The proposal to abolish the existing warden’s service was agreed by Doncaster Council’s former Cabinet committee in February 2008 and, in August this year, the current Cabinet voted to continue with the plans.

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Questionnaires and information on the proposed changes to the warden service are now being sent out to all those who live in Doncaster Council sheltered housing. The documents are also available at council offices, libraries and online.

The consultation period is set to end on Friday, December 3, and councillors will make a final decision on the changes at a Cabinet meeting on January 12 next year.

Within the consultation document, the council claims that the current alarm system in its sheltered housing properties is “outdated and needs replacing”.

The document says: “To meet increasing demands for services, the council needs to make sure alarms are provided fairly and are good value for money. We also need to consider how we provide any additional support in the future.

“We want to provide a good service to all the people that need it. At the moment the service we provide is based on where people live, not what help and support they need.”