Tech-Enabled Living (TEL) service

Tech-Enabled Living (TEL)

The Tech-Enabled Living (TEL) Service (previously known as the Telecare Service) provides equipment and advice for vulnerable and/or disabled residents. The equipment and advice helps them to live safely and more independently at home.

To receive a service or equipment, health and social care professionals first complete an assessment of the resident’s needs then send details to the TEL service. The professionals completing the assessment can be from within the hospital, community health networks, or adult social care. In some cases residents are not eligible for the provision of funded TEL equipment.

You can also ask for an assessment by filling out our adult social care support form.

Ask for an assessment

If you want a monitored service or equipment for peace of mind, you should fund it privately.

When triggered, the equipment alerts the alarm receiving centre or other people in the same household for help and assistance. The monitoring centre can contact a friend, relative or a specialist response service to attend the home and assist if needed.

In the future, TEL equipment for residents may also include devices and technologies to proactively monitor health metrics, safety and wellbeing.

How TEL equipment works

A basic system includes a base unit connected to a personal alarm trigger worn around the neck or wrist.

When the button is pressed, it sends a signal to the base unit, which automatically contacts the alarm receiving centre. The Monitoring centre speaks to the resident through the base unit, which acts as a speakerphone, to confirm if an emergency response is needed. The Monitoring centre coordinates the response plan by contacting the nominated emergency responders or the relevant emergency specialist help to attend the property. These responders may be a mix of:

• family or other next of kin
• council emergency responders
• emergency medical or specialist assistance from LAS or the fire brigade

Other examples of equipment:

• automatic falls detectors – these raise an alarm when an impact fall is detected – provided when a person is unable to manually activate a pendant themselves after a fall, due to a cognitive or physical disability
• heat detector – may be installed in a kitchen to alert for fire when a person is unable to monitor the risks themselves and respond to standard alarms
• smoke detector – installed to address specific fire risks, for example smoking in bed – the London Fire Brigade is likely to provide this alongside a home safety assessment
• bed or chair occupancy sensor and property exit sensor – these link to a pager and alert other people in the home when a person gets up unsupervised or opens the front door
• GPS tracker device- this is a wearable device that helps locate a person, it sends notifications to family if they move away from the home, the device is able to make and receive calls

Repairs, maintenance and service information

Our equipment provider is Livity Life (formerly known as Millbrook Healthcare).

Livity Life provides:

• TEL repairs and maintenance
• TEL emergency responders for Hackney
• monitoring alarm service

To report an issue with your TEL equipment press the button on the wearable device or base unit to speak to the 24 hour Monitoring centre. If this is not possible, contact the Haggerston based team by calling 0208 510 0626, or emailing HackneyTEL@livitylife.co.uk.

Our council based TEL team:

• review referrals
• order equipment
• provide advice
• work with Livity Life to coordinate TEL services

You can contact our council based TEL service, by calling 0208 356 4093, or emailing TechEnabledLiving@hackney.gov.uk.

Checking your equipment

To ensure your monitored equipment is working and connecting to the monitoring centre, you should do a test call at least once a month. To do this, press the button on the wearable device, or on the base unit.

If the equipment is no longer used or you no longer need it, contact the council based TEL service to arrange collection.

Updating your details

To tell us about any changes affecting your TEL service, contact Livity Life or our council based TEL service.

For example:

• you change your phone number or contact details
• you change your door locks or need to provide new spare keys
• you need to change your emergency responder or next of kin details
• you move address or intend to move to a new address where collection or relocation of TEL equipment is needed

Service timeframes

TEL aims to:

• replace or repair any TEL equipment within 2 working days when the need is urgent
• replace or repair TEL equipment if needed, within 5 working days in non urgent circumstances
• respond to TEL alarm alerts at the 24 hour Monitoring Centre within 60 seconds – in an emergency, the council responder service aims to be with you within 60 minutes of the alarm call

Changes to the TEL service – the digital switch

If you are an existing user, the UK-wide switch from analogue to digital telephone services will affect your connection to the TEL service.

What you need to do

Between now and 31 January 2027, analogue telephone services in the UK will be switched off. They will be replaced by digital systems using internet protocol (IP) technology. Residents’ communications providers will complete this work according to their own timescales.

When your analogue phone line is moved to the digital system, your current TEL equipment and service will no longer work.

Once your phone line is moved to the digital system, contact Livity Life or our TEL service as soon as possible. They will arrange to have your TEL equipment reprogrammed.

Livity Life will contact residents to swap their current equipment to digital versions.

Planned changes to the TEL service

From 26 August 2025, we will only fully fund TEL services for:

• children with disabilities
• adults (18+) who are eligible for support under the Care Act

If you or your family member currently use TEL but do not meet the new criteria, you will receive a letter explaining your options.

You can still use the TEL service as a self-funder (meaning you pay a small fee) if you’d like to keep the extra reassurance.

Why the service is changing

All analogue phone services are being switched off by 31 January 2027. They will be replaced by digital landlines.

Moving to digital technology improves the quality and reliability of our service. This means that residents have better access to support.

We started installing digital devices in April 2022. The upgrade of our equipment to digital systems increases our costs.

This means we cannot afford to keep funding TEL in the same way. We have had to change who is eligible to receive the council-funded service.

The new TEL system will mean we can invest in better digital technology while still making sure council-funded services go to those most in need.

This change will help us to:

• manage limited funds while providing a more reliable service
• provide options for self-funders
• charge a small fee for equipment replacement and key safe provision and installation for eligible users

Getting your feedback on these changes

Your feedback is important to us. That’s why we’re running a consultation in June 2025.

We want to find out how these changes may affect your daily life. We will gather insights on the potential impacts, making sure we fully understand any challenges you may face.

We will carefully consider all feedback before finalising the policy and will share updates on any changes made in response to your concerns.

We will be asking:

• if you or a family member currently use monitored TEL devices (like falls detectors or pendant alarms)
• how the proposed changes, including charges, might affect you
• what types of support or adjustments could help reduce any negative impacts

How to contact us

We will be providing a telephone advice line that people can use to ask any questions they may have that are not answered here.

Once the advice line is live, we will share the number on this page and in other public communications about the change.