A NEWLY-formed team which provides a lifeline to vulnerable residents in Redditch and Bromsgrove has passed a tough test to make sure it is providing a top class service for customers.

Redditch and Bromsgrove council’s NEW Lifeline Service has been accredited with the Telecare Association’s Code of Practice following a two-day audit.

The NEW Lifeline Team was created just six months ago as part of the shared services project between the two councils.

It provides a community alarm service 24-hours a day, 365 days a year, enabling residents living in Bromsgrove and Redditch to remain living independently in their own homes for longer and providing peace of mind for service users’ families.

As part of the inspection staff had to prove their practices and procedures were in order and they were assessed as they completed an installation of the alarm in a house and handled emergency calls coming in to the monitoring centre.

CCTV and Telecare services manager Rachel McAndrews said: “All our procedures were new because as we went through the shared services process we took the best bits from each authority to form a new way of doing things.

“Passing this audit means that our customers will feel the benefit of this new service and this result will give us something to build on for the future.”

A recent satisfaction survey also showed that 99 per cent of customers were satisfied with the service.