East Renfrewshire Council Awarded Gold Level One Digital Telecare Implementation Award

Digital Telecare for Scottish Local Government are delighted to confirm that East Renfrewshire Council and Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) has been awarded the Gold Level One Digital Telecare Implementation Award in recognition of the progress they have made on their analogue to digital telecare transition project.

To achieve the Gold Level One Implementation Award, a telecare service provider must have implemented a fully operational digital alarm receiving centre solution as well as rolling out a live digital telecare service to at least 20% of service users. This is the third major milestone in the analogue to digital transition and lays the foundation for the future of digital telecare.

Telecare, also known as a community alarm, provides a link from a resident’s home to a 24-response centre based within the Council’s community safety control room. Almost 3,000 residents use the alarm across East Renfrewshire, allowing them to call for help in an emergency at the touch of a button. The Council is responsible for the call handling of East Renfrewshire’s Telecare Service, whilst the HSCP manage the response team who attend the user’s home when the alarm is raised.

Council Leader, Owen O’Donnell, said: “Achieving the Gold Level One Award is a significant milestone for us and I commend everyone involved for their hard work and dedication with this project. The new system is in line with our aim of being a modern, ambitious Council and I am in no doubt that our residents will reap the benefits of this improved, digital service.”

Convener for Health and Social Care, Councillor Katie Pragnell, said: “Telecare is just one of the ways the HSCP supports residents to live at home independently, with calls answered and responders available 24/7, 365 days a year. I am delighted that we’ve implemented a fully digital solution, which will ensure that the service remains fit for purpose, and we can continue to provide excellent care for those who need it most in our communities.”

Their team will now focus on the procurement of a new call warden system to all sheltered housing complexes and continue the roll out of the digital ready community alarm units to all remaining clients, strengthening the Council’s position as the transition gathers pace.

Digital Telecare will continue to work with East Renfrewshire Council and HSCP as they progress towards the Gold Level Two Digital Telecare Implementation Award.