Our community alarm scheme helps you stay at home if you are elderly or have a disability.
It is a personal alarm system that gives you the security of knowing you can call for help in an emergency. We are here if, for example, you fall and cannot get yourself up, at any time of the day or night.
How does the alarm work?
You wear the alarm as a pendant your neck or on your wrist, so it’s with you at all times. When you press the alarm, it sends a signal down your telephone line and our operator picks up your call.
Once you have signalled for help, an operator can speak to you through your alarm unit to find out what the problem is. You don't have to lift your telephone to make contact. If for any reason you can’t speak, the operator can still arrange for help.
After the operator has spoken to you, they will contact:
- Your keyholder (usually a neighbour, friend or family member)
- Mobile Emergency Care Service (MECS) or the emergency services if necessary.
If the situation is not an emergency, we will do all we can to help and advise. We may not always need to visit.
How we can help you in an emergency
The help you get will depend on what your emergency is.
We may:
- Contact your GP or emergency contacts
- Talk with you to reassure you
- Contact MECS if you have fallen and un-injured
- Call Paramedics if you are injured as MECS are not medically trained
Who can use the scheme?
You can have an alarm system fitted if you:
- Live alone
- Are at risk because of ill health, frailty, disability, sensory impairment, extreme anxiety or isolation
How do you get an alarm?
If you think you need an alarm, please use the link below or call the Social Work Contact Centre on 03451 55 15 03, to request one. We will contact you to arrange installation and will then visit you at home to install and explain how to operate the alarm. You must have a working active phone line with outgoing calls to use the community alarm. Please Note: Your Community Alarm will still work as normal if your telephone provider changes your landline onto fibre optic.
Due to ongoing demands within the service, it can take up to 6 weeks to have the community alarm installed.
How often do we check the equipment?
We request that you or your family, friend, keyholder do a 4-weekly test on your pendant and alarm.
How much does the community alarm cost?
The community alarm service costs £2.94 a week as well as your standard provider call rate which is charged each time you activate the community alarm. Invoices are sent out annually in May for the period of April to the following March which will be 12 equal instalments covering May to the following April inclusive, customers will be notified of this on their invoice.
If a community alarm is installed partway through the year, then the customer will be sent an invoice for this period until the end of March and then will go onto the annual billing system.