A HUSBAND who cares for his severely disabled wife has said he fully supports plans for a new service to help people who suffer a fall.

Dennis Carr, of Gordon Road, Dovercourt, pays £21.60 a month to use Tendring Council’s Careline service.

This involves having an alarm installed in their home so they can alert someone in case of an emergency.

Careline attempts to contact the person and if they get no response, the emergency services are called.

But under a new scheme, which was trialled last year, Tendring Council would see a rapid response service option added to the package at a cost of £26 a year.

This would mean a specially trained member of staff would respond to help those who have had a fall, rather than calling for the emergency services.

The proposal has sparked outrage and a petition against it has attracted 80,000 supporters.

But Mr Carr said he felt the benefit of having a specially trained member of staff quickly on hand if needed would be worth the added cost.

He said: “I care for my disabled wife, Carol, but I am 70-plus years old.

“The thought is if I keeled over and fell, then she is completely stuck.

“It gives me piece of mind as all I have to do is press that button and we’re covered.

“It is already an opt in or opt out service, and this new service would be the same.

“If people can’t afford the service, that is an entirely different issue.”

Mrs Carr, 68, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2004.

Her condition deteriorated rapidly, leaving her mostly bed-bound; she is only able to move her left arm.

“I get so angry reading all these negative stories when the people who actually use the service haven’t been asked what they think,” he added.

“Prior to reaching 70, I was a community first responder and we used to be on call, doing 12-hour stints.

“A lot of the call-outs were a result of a fall and when I turned up at the house, I would discover all the situation needed was a bit of a talk and a cup of tea to calm them down.

“I couldn’t call off the ambulance, though, so they would come all the way from Colchester at a huge cost to the emergency services.

“I think the whole point of what the council is trying to do here is being missed.”

A decision on whether to bring in the scheme will be made by the council in February.