North East Lincolnshire Carelink Presentation 7 February 2024

Vickie Fisher, CEO of North East Lincolnshire Carelink joined us for lunch and then told us about her organisation which is a Registered Charity.

Carelink provides 24/7 care via Lifeline units. Users can press a button on a wristband or pendant if they have a problem and are connected to the call centre. There are approximately 2,800 units in use, and about 600 calls a day are received. In January this resulted in 44 calls for ambulances and 5 for fires. On average users are aged between 81 and 90, but users can be as young as 13 and as old as 104.

There are various add-ons which can be used, such as links to smoke detectors, pill dispensers, flood detectors and door contacts.

The units have recently had to be changed to digital, and now use mobile phone networks. The cost of the changeover was approximately £600,000. The units are paid for either by individuals or Social Services.

The headquarters were sadly the victim of an arson attack in 2023, but have recovered and now moved to Europarc.

After the presentation, Vickie took questions. Past President Michael Bull proposed a Vote of Thanks, and President Stuart Brown presented a cheque towards the funds of Carelink.