Renfrewshire Council

What our community alarm and technology enabled care service is

Our community alarms and technology enabled care services support vulnerable people and their carers to help them live safely in their own home.

They provide extra support through a dedicated response service and a range of technology tailored to meet your health, mobility or individual needs, including:

• standard alarms
• smoke and heat detectors
• flood detectors
• bed sensors
• fall detectors
• pill dispensers
• door sensors.

The alarm service can be used to call for assistance from your home in an emergency, such as a fall or illness.

Our response team operates 365 days a year and can be contacted at any time of the day or night.

How community alarms work

We install a standard community alarm unit by connecting it to a telephone line in your home.

You can activate this in an emergency by pressing a button on the alarm unit or on a pendant you can wear. The pendant is waterproof, so it can be worn in the shower.

If you press your alarm, an operator will speak to you to find out what assistance you need.

There are a number of ways they can provide help or assistance depending on the information you give, including:

• sending a mobile responder to help you
• contacting a family member or friend
• contacting your GP, NHS24 or emergency services.

You can ask for activation calls to be directed to a family member or carer if you would prefer.

How technology enabled care services work

You can add other technology enabled care services to an installed community alarm. They provide automatic calls in an emergency without a person having to press the button on the alarm unit or their pendant.

Discreet sensors are programmed to the alarm unit that can send an alarm call automatically if an emergency has been identified.

The sensors are used to monitor environmental risks, such as smoke or floods, and personal risks such as falls.

If these are activated, our response service will send a responder or emergency services to your home.

Alerts can be directed to a family member or carer instead of the responder service, depending on your preference.

Technology enabled care services are designed and installed based on your needs, or those of the person you care for.

These include:

Smoke and heat detector

This is used if a service user has been identified as being at risk from fire or temperature extremes.

It's also helpful for people with mobility or sensory issues who could struggle to exit a property.

When activated, the fire brigade is normally deployed.

Flood detector

This is used to detect water spillage, such as when someone has forgotten to turn off a tap or if a sink is blocked.

These are usually placed in bathrooms or kitchens.

Fall detector

This is to monitor people with mobility issues and illnesses such as epilepsy and dementia.

Bed sensor

This is used to detect when a service user gets out of bed during the night and fails to return after a period of time. The time period can be specified by a carer or family member.

The sensor can call the response team for someone who lives alone, or it can be set up to call the mobile phone of a carer who lives in the property or a family member.

Pill dispenser

This helps support people to take their medication correctly.

It automatically dispenses medication and gives audible and visual alerts at each time medication should be taken.

Door contacts

This is used when there is evidence of someone going out at inappropriate times, such as during the night.

This can be used as part of the Herbert Protocol to help police and other agencies quickly and safely locate missing people who have dementia. Find out more about the Herbert Protocol on the Police Scotland website.

Who can get a community alarm or technology enabled care services

There are many different reasons why someone might need a community alarm or a technology enabled care service.

You might be able to get this service if you:

• live alone and are vulnerable
• have mobility issues or are at risk of falling
• have a physical disability
• have sensory impairments
• have learning disabilities
• have a risk identified by family, carer or a social worker.

We'll carry out an assessment of your needs to see if a community alarm or telecare installation is suitable for you.

How much it costs

A community alarm costs £5.13 per week (from 1 April 2025).

We'll send you an annual bill by post. You can arrange to pay this by setting up a standing order or by Direct Debit.

We can arrange for the bill to be sent to a carer or family member, if you prefer.

You can ask to spread the payments of the annual charge over the full year, if you'd prefer to pay in instalments. You can request this after you have received your community alarm by emailing the Finance Recovery Team at sundry-income.finit@renfrewshire.gov.uk.

All calls received from your alarm system will incur a call charge from your telephone provider.

How to apply

If you or someone you look after would like to be assessed for a community alarm or technology enabled care service, you should contact our Adult Services Referral Team (ASeRT).

You can contact them by phoning 0300 300 1380 or by post to:

Mile End Centre
Seedhill Road
Paisley
PA1 1SA

You'll need to provide details of your name, address, next of kin, and 2 key holders who also live within Renfrewshire.

Your request will be referred to our social work team, who'll carry out an assessment of your needs against the eligibility criteria. This is how we decide what service is suitable for you.

Any equipment supplied will be tailored to your individual needs and installed once you've been assessed. There is no additional charge for the equipment or installation.

More information

If you'd like more information on our community alarm and telecare service, you can phone us on 0300 300 0215.