THE local authorities Careline team based in the Towy Valley have been given a pat on the back by the county council's social care and health executive board member Councillor Jane Tremlett.

The 30-strong team man the switchboard 24/7 and in 2015 staff handled 606,133 Lifeline and 73,831 out of hours calls across south west Wales - 151,735 of which were inside Carmarthenshire county boundaries.

These ranged from a concerned resident worried about a dripping tap to a Lifeline call from a distressed elderly person who had suffered a stroke and every kind of problem you could imagine in between.

Cllr Jane Tremlett said: “The Careline team have the expertise to deal with all that comes their way in a calming, reassuring and efficient manner to achieve the best possible outcome in every case.

“I never cease to be amazed at some of the incredible stories they have to tell in sometimes fast moving life or death situations.”

Careline manager Julian Ellis added: “You never know what that next call will bring. We recognise every call is important to the person making the call.

“If it is the ‘dripping tap’ call we explain, in a reassuring manner, the non emergency nature of the situation; what can be done to immediately overcome the problem and make the arrangements for a plumber as soon as possible to tackle the situation to overcome any difficulties.

“The stroke or fall victim who might have broken limbs will instigate a full emergency response and the Careline operative will offer reassurance and comfort to that distressed individual throughout the call.

“These calls can be harrowing and stressful but the professionalism sees you through the adrenalin rush moments to achieve the best possible outcomes.”

Emergency Alarm Activation's can range from Lifelines, Telecare equipment such as bed sensors, property exit sensors, bogus caller alerts etc, lone workers, fire alarms and intruder alarms.

It is not widely understood that the team working out of Llandeilo’s Carmarthenshire county council offices cover the whole of Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Bridgend, Powys, Pembrokeshire, Swansea and Neath Port Talbot.

There are just over 28,000 connections covered by the 24-hour service.

Careline also provides an Out of Hours service via telephone to handle emergency calls for housing repairs, highways, social services, homecare, emergency planning and corporate property keyholders.