Telecare

Telecare uses small, discreet equipment that you can wear or have placed around your home, so you can get help if you need it.

Some equipment is used by you, for example by pressing a button. Other equipment works automatically, such as a fall detector, door alarm or smoke alarm, and can send an alert if something happens.

When an alert is raised, it goes through to the NHS Highland Hub Response Centre. A trained operator will speak to you through your telecare box to check what’s happening and arrange the most appropriate help.

This is usually contacting a family member, neighbour or carer. In a medical emergency or fire, they can contact the emergency services.

The standard package is a Telecare button, which you simply press to call for help.

There are more advanced options available for people who may not be able to raise the alarm for help. These include:

• Fall, bed or movement sensors
These can raise an alert automatically if there is a possible fall.

• Door, smoke, heat or flood sensors
These help alert someone if there may be a safety risk in the home.

• Medication dispenser
Helps people take the right medication at the right time.

• Carer pager
Telecare alerts go directly to a carer living in the home via an easy-to-use pager.

To see how Telecare could help you or someone else, please visit the Telecare Self-Check Online Tool.

If you are worried about falls, you could get a Telecare button that you simply press to call for help.

If you feel unsafe when you are away from your home on your own, you could get door sensors that will let someone know if you leave your home and that you may need help.

If you are a carer and aren’t sleeping well because you might miss something, you could get a pager, which will alert you when your help is needed.

If you are anxious and need extra support after a stay in hospital or after a life-changing event, you could get confidence and reassurance from a Telecare button.

If you are struggling to take the right medication, you can get a medication dispenser that helps to keep you right.

If you need help to leave your home in the event of a fire, a smoke detector can be fitted to provide an early alert. 

There is a weekly charge of £6.35. However, if you are on a low income or receiving palliative care, you may be eligible for the service free of charge.

You can apply directly for our standard Telecare service, which uses a Telecare button to raise an alarm call for help.

Before starting the referral, please ask your nominated responders if they are willing to be contacted and to get as many contact details as possible (including address, landline number and mobile number).

If more advanced Telecare sensors are needed, such as a bed sensor or smoke detector, a Telecare assessment will be required. This can be arranged by contacting your local Adult Social Care team.

Once your referral has been processed by the Technology Enabled Care (TEC) team, your local Highland Handyperson Scheme will contact you to arrange a date to install your telecare equipment.

During the installation visit, the Handyperson will explain how the equipment works and make sure you feel confident using it.

With your consent, we will also request a home fire safety visit from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and ask SSE to add your details to their Priority Services Register.

All phone lines in the UK are being upgraded from analogue to digital by telecom providers. This change affects services, like Telecare, that previously relied on analogue phone lines.

To prepare for this, we have introduced a new digital telecare box. This no longer uses an analogue phone line and instead works using a mobile SIM card or a broadband connection.

What this means for Telecare clients

We have now successfully migrated most of our Telecare clients to the new digital telecare box and new clients will automatically receive a digital telecare box.

Please be assured that this digital upgrade does not change how the Telecare service works. Clients will continue to receive the same high standard of support and response they are used to.

If you still have an older analogue telecare box

If you are an existing client and still have an older analogue telecare box (pictured below), we will contact you when we are ready to replace it.

In the meantime, please continue to use your Telecare service as normal.

If your phone provider contacts you about changes to your phone line, or if you have concerns about your telecare equipment, please contact the Telecare team for advice.

Further information

You can find more information about the digital phone line upgrade on the Ofcom website, or by contacting your phone provider directly.

We are aware of a scam that has been circulating, targeting vulnerable people and telecare clients.

Scammers may contact people and ask them to sign up for a Telecare service or request payment for a new digital telecare box, claiming that their current equipment is out of date. In some cases, they may pretend to be calling from NHS Highland or a local GP practice.

Please be reassured:

• We will never call you and ask for your bank details
• We will never ask you to pay for new telecare equipment
• Any upgrade to a new digital telecare box is provided free of charge

If you receive a call about your Telecare service and are unsure whether it is genuine, please contact the Telecare team directly for advice.

You can also find useful information from Age Concern about how we can protect ourselves from phone scams.