Residents at an independent living facility managed by Bury Council have shared fresh fears around their safety after a woman was found dead in her flat.
Mosses House is a council complex close to Bury town centre and is made up of 14 studio flats, two one-bedroom flats, and communal areas for people living independently.
Last month, one resident was found dead in her bathroom after two others “broke in and called for help”.
They believe that she passed away “days earlier”.
It’s led to residents in the facility voicing concerns for their safety and calling for a greater presence from independent living officers.
One resident, who was a good friend of the deceased lady, said: “We hadn’t seen her for days. I knocked on, but thought she might have gone to the hospital or something.
“It is a worry. It feels isolating, especially at night. It’s shook me up.
“It could happen to any of us, and something needs to be done to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
She explained that when she first moved to the facility almost two decades ago, it was a sheltered accommodation offer, meaning residents paid for additional support services.
This included live-in wardens based at the complex, before they were replaced by independent living officers when warden funding was cut in December 2023.
The resident added: “I’ve considered moving, but why should I have to?
“I was happy here, and we just need some extra reassurance. Even a knock on the door once a day from someone at the council would help.”
Bury Council said its independent living officers visit “on a regular basis” and residents were consulted on the removal of wardens “to ensure they still receive the best support possible”.
Mosses House in Bury(Image: Newsquest)
The council also says it aims to always be “listening, learning and taking the appropriate action” to make the residents feel safe.
But another resident, aged 73, said: “[Independent living officers] only come once a week now and don’t do any welfare checks.
“They check the fire alarm every Thursday morning, then leave after about 15 minutes.
“I’m lucky, I have a daughter and family who come to see me, but some people in here have no one looking out for them.
“It was great when I first moved in, but it’s changed a lot since.”
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He added that if they do have a problem, one person who can help is a cleaner who also comes in once a week, “for a couple of hours”.
The pair did not want to be named, fearing repercussions around their housing situation, and said they did not want to “upset the council”.
The residents invited Bury North MP James Frith to join them for a coffee afternoon and to discuss their concerns with his team.
The meeting took place on Monday afternoon (October 13) at Mosses House.
A group of about ten residents explained that, while there are emergency response intercoms in the communal areas, and each resident has an emergency personal assistance fob, they often encountered problems using the devices.
The authority uses a 24-hour community alarm system called CareLink to allow people to report concerns in its independent living accommodation.
CareLink provides a home safety and personal security system that “enables people to live independently within their own homes”.
The alarms are linked to the Tunstall Monitoring Call Centre, so help can be “summoned in an emergency at any time of the day or night”.
The council says average response times for call centre alerts over the past 18 months was 19.5 seconds.
However, at the meeting with Mr Frith, one resident said: “I have had to use it on two or three occasions, but it was a waste of time. It takes 20 or 30 minutes for someone to answer, if at all.
“It makes us feel vulnerable.”
Another resident, known as ‘Bob’, added: “They used to call us every morning, but don’t even do that anymore.
“The personal safety fobs are pointless. They don’t always work and are not much help if we are already dead in our room and no one knows about it.”
Another was visibly upset when discussing the sad passing of the fellow resident, adding: “It’s been frightening for us.”
Bury North MP James Frith with residents at Mosses House(Image: Newsquest)
Residents also raised issues around the effectiveness of the exterior lighting, lack of clear signage, and radiators “not working” in some bedrooms.
They did praise the convenient location of the flats, including access to nearby GP services, and thanked the MP for “taking the time” to speak with them in person.
During the meeting, Mr Frith offered the residents reassurance and vowed to escalate the issue with the “relevant people” at Bury Council.
He added: “It’s clear you’ve all been affected by this, that you’ve experienced some level of trauma here which needs better attention than you have received.”
Following the resident’s death, the council said it’s “looking for ways to improve” its support.
It plans to introduce extra technology in residents’ homes to detect motion and provide an earlier alert “if someone has fallen/not moved and are unable to access CareLink”.
A council spokesperson said: “We are always saddened when one of our residents passes away, and our thoughts are with their family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time.
“Our Independent Living officers and CareLink are continuing to work together to provide support to the residents of Mosses House.
“Following the removal of funding in December 2023, wardens were replaced by Independent Living Officers who visit our independent living schemes on a regular basis.
“The removal of wardens was consulted on with residents to ensure they still receive the best support possible.
“Residents can raise concerns with their Independent Living officer and via the call centre, which over the last 18 months, has had an average response time of 19.5 seconds.
“Our aim is to always be listening, learning and taking the appropriate action. This is why we continually review the service and look for ways to improve our support.
“This includes plans to introduce additional technology in residents’ homes which would detect motion in flats and provide an earlier alert if someone has fallen/not moved and are unable to access CareLink.
“Once again, our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the resident’s loved ones at this time, and we will continue to do all we can to support our residents.”
In a statement after the meeting, James Frith MP added: “Following the sad loss of a much-loved resident, I was grateful to be invited to visit Mosses, and it was uplifting to see the strength of the community there.
“Residents are looking out for one another, and I’m committed to making sure the services they depend on, like Carelink, meet the standards they deserve.
“Communities like Mosses are what make Bury North special.
“Since being elected, I’ve visited several residential homes, retirement communities and other settings to meet with people and talk about the issues that matter most to them.
“If you think I can help, please do get in touch and invite me along to where you live. I’d be glad to visit.”
