Telecare Services

What is Telecare?

If you need more support to live independently because of your health condition or disability, we can provide a range of telecare equipment designed to meet your specific needs.

Telecare is a service that supports people to live safely and independently in their own home through the use of simple sensors. Telecare provides 24-hour monitoring of a person, ensuring an alert is raised if the sensor detects any problems.

Telecare builds upon the basic Home Alarm pendant alarm system to offer added safety and security at home. Sensors are discreetly placed around the home on ceilings, doors and walls or on beds and chairs or may be worn by the service user in the form of a pendant, watch or belt.

Like the Home Alarm, Telecare provides 24 hour peace of mind and support for people using the service, allowing them to manage any risks associated with their health condition or disability living in their own home. Telecare uses sensors that raise an alarm at our contact centre in the event of an emergency, for example, if you have a fall or leave the taps or gas on.

Friends, family and carers also benefit from the service. Not only can they be confident of being alerted in an emergency, but the service also reduces the chance of problems occurring. The system can be adapted to support individuals in a range of different situations, for instance raising alerts for falls, floods, smoke, carbon monoxide, bogus callers or medication reminders.

Please be aware that Telecare is a rapidly developing field and new equipment is being introduced regularly. Please contact the Telecare Officer for advice and information on your particular circumstances.

Details of the most regularly used telecare sensors can be found in the leaflet that can downloaded from this page.

You can watch our short video about Telecare from the link below.

Introduction to Telecare

How it works

As with the Home Alarm, we fit an alarm to your telephone point and mains power supply and give you a personal alarm trigger. One push of the trigger raises the alarm at our contact centre.  In addition we can fit a variety of telecare sensors around your home, depending on your individual needs.

If one of the sensors is automatically activated or if you press your personal alarm trigger, the alarm connected to your phone will ring our Control Centre. The response centre staff will have information about the person using the service, will be able to identify which sensor has been activated and how best to respond.

One of our advisors will try to speak to you over the speaker in the alarm to check your safety. If they are unable to speak to you they will try to contact you by telephone. If it is an emergency or they cannot contact you they will arrange an appropriate response which could be contacting a designated family member, neighbour, or the emergency services or arranging for the Mobile Warden to visit you.

Some Telecare sensors can just raise an alarm in your home without calling the contact centre which can be suitable if you have a carer living with you or if you are a carer looking after someone. It means, for example, that a carer can go out into the garden and relax knowing they will be alerted if the person they look after gets out of bed or tries to leave the house.

Who would benefit from the Telecare service?

Anyone, of any age, who needs more support than the basic Home Alarm Service could provide, who would like to be independent and feel safer in their own home. It can be suitable for people with:

• Dementia
• Physical disabilities
• Learning disabilities
• Mental health problems
• Long-term medical conditions that may make people vulnerable to falling or collapse
• A real or perceived fear of crime and who feel particularly vulnerable

It can also be used on a short-term basis, for example to give support to someone coming out of hospital after a fall or serious illness, until they have regained their strength and confidence.

Telecare can also help people caring for vulnerable people, giving them support and peace of mind. It can enable them leave the house to go to work, go shopping or take a break knowing that, if there is an emergency, the Home Alarm Monitoring Centre can respond quickly. It can help them sleep more soundly at night knowing that if the person they care for has a problem they can be alerted quickly. It also provides back up if the carer is unable to provide care due to illness or holidays.

The service can make a real difference to your life. It can help you to stay in or move into in your own home. It also gives those who care about you the reassurance that you are safe and well.

The guides that you can download on this page give some examples of how Telecare can be used to meet different needs.  You may also like to watch the short videos showing interviews with people who use the Telecare service.

Eileen's story (29Mb .wmv format)

Hayley's story (32Mb .wmv format)

Helen's story (29Mb .wmv format) 

How to apply for Telecare services

Please complete the e-form link below.

Telecare Services Referral Form

Alternatively, you can print off the pdf version, complete it and post it to the address on the form.

When your application is received, the Telecare Officer will get in touch and make arrangements for visiting you to discuss your requirements and provide information and advice. Some telecare sensors can be installed on the first visit, other equipment may require specialist installation. The Telecare Officer will make the necessary arrangements.

Charges for the Telecare service

There is a small weekly charge of £3.00 (exc VAT) for the monitoring service. There is no charge for the equipment or installation. 

In some circumstances you can be financially assessed for the service. Please contact the Telecare Officer (see contact details at the top of the page) for further information.