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Article: Hotline swamped.
- Article from:
- The Star (Sheffield) (Sheffield, England)
- Article date:
- December 31, 2007
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Johnston Publishing Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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HARD-working staff manning the phones at Sheffield Council's emergency out-of-hours service for vulnerable people dealt with almost 1,200 calls over Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Just three people were on duty at any time during the holiday period but they received an average of more than 18 calls an hour.
Most were from elderly people and disabled people subscribing to the city-wide alarm service, through which they can request help if they have a fall or are taken ill.
Between the afternoon of Christmas Eve and early hours of Thursday morning, they made 979 calls.
Other emergencies included 119 calls about vulnerable adults, 53 ...