It was ‘snow’ joke for Invicta Telecare staff as they battled to get into work in treacherous weather conditions to keep the life saving Telecare service up and running as they were inundated with more than 4000 calls on Saturday, nearly four times the number received compared to the two previous weekends.

Part of Circle Anglia, Invicta Telecare is the largest independent provider of Telecare services in the UK, delivering peace of mind and reassurance to over 95,000 vulnerable people who want to remain living independently in their own home. The band of trusty staff at monitoring centres in Borough Green and Larkfield respond to emergency calls triggered by an alarm or sensor activated in elderly and vulnerable peoples home.

Wendy Turner, Invicta Telecare’s Operations Director, said: “Its at times like this during severe weather conditions that we are quite literally a lifeline for many older people, every minute counts when a frail person falls at home, often wearing just a nightdress and exposed to the cold. Others can be just frightened and need reassurance or may be having problems with their heating which needs to be quickly sorted out.

“Our staff really rose to the challenge getting in against all the odds to make sure we had enough people to keep our service running. As many of the roads were impassable and motorways partially closed many trekked in by foot, some walking two hours in deep snow to get into work whilst others stayed on overnight to help cope with the extra calls. Everyone really went over and above the call of duty and did a simply wonderful job and without them we certainly would not have been able to continue this vital service that so many people heavily rely upon.”

Another important service Invicta Telecare provides is out of hours call handling on behalf of housing associations and local authorities. As many organisations were unable to cope due to staff opting to stay at home, Invicta Telecare stepped in and managed their calls as hundreds of people rang to report emergency repairs or asking for help owing to the adverse weather.