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

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 the end of 2025, 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 before 2025 to swap their current equipment to digital versions.

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