Community Alarm Information Booklet

Community Alarm Information Booklet 1

Contents About the Walsall Community Alarm Service 3 Community Alarm Service Benefits 4 How will we deal with an enquiry regarding the Community Alarm Service Making an Alarm Call 6 Responders 6 Installation 7 Planned Maintenance 7 Testing 7 Golden Rules 7 Cost of the Alarm Service 8 Cooling off period 8 Payment Methods 8 Consultation with Service Users 9 Confidentiality 9 Changes to your information 9 Call recording 9 Your guide to our Comments, Compliment and Complaints procedure Appendix 1 Explanation of the equipment Appendix 2 Details of Payment Methods Appendix 3 Test Call Record Walsall Community Alarm Privacy Statement 15 5 10 12 13 14 2

About the Walsall Community Alarm Service This booklet contains information about our Community Alarm Service. Should you have any further questions about the service please do not hesitate to contact the Walsall Community Alarm Response Centre on 01922 653252. The Community Alarm Service is available to older, disabled and vulnerable people who live in the Walsall borough. It means they can call for help in an emergency 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This helps to keep people independent and stay living in their own homes for longer. This service includes: A basic package - smoke alarms fitted to your home, a personal pendant and a keysafe 24 hour a day, 7 days a week link to a local response centre Mobile response service, registered by CQC, provides social care response team member. Many people can benefit from the service, including people with long-term health needs, disabilities, restricted mobility, who live alone or have special needs of any kind. Walsall Community Alarm Service is committed to the Council s vision to support citizens to stay healthy, well and safe in their own home. How to Contact Community Alarm Service By Phone 01922 653252 By Email commalarms@walsall.gcsx.gov.uk By Fax 01543 372947 By Letter Walsall Community Alarm Service, Walsall Response Centre, Streets Corner, Brownhills Road, Walsall WS8 7BS 3

Community Alarm Service Benefits A 24 hour, 365 day Community Alarm service where trained staff are able to respond to all calls from clients in a prompt and appropriate manner. If emergency calls are made, the operator may: Call a named responder Call the Fire, Police or Ambulance service Call a Doctor In non urgent situations we are be able to liaise with other agencies on your behalf, such as Social Services, Community Nurse, or GP Provision of a fully maintained community alarm unit and pendant that links to the Response Centre via a telephone line connection Mobile response that can respond within 20 minutes. In the case where there are no responders or named responders are unable to attend a member of the mobile response service will be called out to assess the situation. Action will be taken according to an individual s need, An example is if you fallen. For the purposes of this service all Community Alarm Service clients are required to have a keysafe installed in order that the team can access a property should there be no reply at the door. The keysafe code is kept on each client s record in a secure manner. 4

How will we deal with an enquiry regarding the Community Alarm Service When you contact the Community Alarm Service, a staff member will visit you in your home to explain how the service and equipment work, to advise you of the options available, cost, installation requirements and contact information. At this meeting it may be advisable for you to have a family member or friend there. The staff member at a home visit will answer any questions you have about the service. Some people decide on the day whether or not they wish to have the alarm installed. If this is the case, it is possible to arrange to have the alarm set up and installed. Other people may wish to take time to think it over. Community Alarm Service aims to have the alarm set up within 7 working days of the individual deciding to have an alarm. In some emergency cases, such as a discharge from hospital, we will try to arrange installation within a couple of days. Information and actions covered at the home visit How the service provided operates and the types of calls that are dealt with The reasons for calls, and action taken for non-emergency and emergency, including no reply calls The role of the respondent and what information is required Review of the equipment and discuss the best place to locate the unit in your home The cost of the alarm will be confirmed to make sure you are happy to meet the costs any doubts please talk to your family or friends Payment methods will be discussed no payments can be made by cash but you can pay be direct debit Benefit maximisation review The staff member will go through all the points of the Community Alarm Service agreement with you, including the termination process for both sides and will explain the cooling off period. Explain that all calls to the Response Centre are recorded. The Officer shall complete the paperwork, explaining as you go along. 5

Making an Alarm Call If you need to activate your pendant alarm in an emergency you can: Press your pendant which will activate your alarm, or Press the red button on the front of the alarm unit. Please note: all calls made to the Response centre are recorded for monitoring, quality and training purposes. What happens when an alarm is activated? Every Community Alarm unit is programmed with an individual number that is linked to the Response Centre. When you press your alarm a call is made to our Response Centre. It displays details of your name, address, doctor, relatives and any other relevant medical information. The operator will either: call you on your telephone, or talk to you via a microphone/loudspeaker facility on the alarm unit. If the operator cannot hear you or you cannot hear the operator a member of the Response Centre will be asked to visit your property to check whether you are OK. No calls will be cancelled until the operator is sure that it has been dealt with appropriately. Accidental Calls There may be times when an alarm is activated by accident. If this happens, call the Community Alarm Service Response Centre on 01922 653252 and inform the operator that it is an accidental call. Responders A responder is a family member/s or friend/s who are wiling to respond in an emergency. You will need to identify two family members or friends and ask them if they are willing to give their home address and any phone numbers so we can contact them (work, home, mobile, etc). 6

Installation Installation is free if you live in the Walsall borough. The equipment can be installed within days of being requested. All you need is a modern plug-in telephone socket and an electric socket near to the telephone socket. The information and action at the visit include: Install the equipment Demonstration of equipment Test Call Planned Maintenance As part of our service we provide an annual maintenance visit, booked in advance. We will send you a letter with an appointment date and time. You are welcome to ring up and change the date and time if they are not suitable. Testing We want to ensure that your equipment is always working. Therefore we recommend that you make a test call at least once a month. You can do this by: 1. Pressing the red button on your pendant 2. When the call is answered tell the operator that you are making a test call, and he/she will confirm that the alarm works. 3. If for any reason your test call is not received please ring the Response Centre on 01922 653252 and a member of the team will investigate. Don t forget to record the test call on your Test Call Record at the end of this booklet. Golden Rules Do the pendant test once a month Always test pendant after a power failure Tell us when you move or any changes to your contact details Do contact us on 01922 653252 if you experience difficulties with your alarm unit. 7

Cost of the Alarm Service A monthly charge of 12.50 provides an alarm unit, smoke detectors and key safe equipment and 24-hour/7 day a week response service. However this charge does not apply to everyone. You do not have to pay for this service if one or more of the following applies to you: You are already paying for any other community services (like home care, day care, adult placements, individual budgets or supported living). Or You are getting minimum income guarantee and no other benefits. Or You are aged 80 years or over. Cooling off period All new clients have a cooling off period of 30 days from the date of signing up to the service to cancel the agreement without incurring a financial penalty. Payment Methods There are numerous ways by which you can pay the charge: Cash Walsall Council Banking Hall One off annual payment or by monthly instalments Payment can be made by debit card, credit card, Standing order or Direct Debit. More information is provided in Appendix 1 at the back of this booklet. 8

Consultation with Service Users We would like to hear your view on how we can improve the service. This will be done by a questionnaire that will be done by post or by phone. Please feel free to put any positive or negative comments so that we can continue to improve our Community Alarm Service. Please inform us If you do not wish to be contacted as part of consultation activities. Confidentiality All information kept on file or on our database is covered by the Data Protection Act 1998. The Council s statement about responsibilities for data protection can be found on the community alarm contract, which you will be asked to sign before we install the alarm unit. The personal details you will have to give are: Name, address and phone number GP s name, address and phone number Next of kin - Name, address and phone number Access details to your property Any other information relevant in an emergency situation. Changes to your information You must tell us if any of your contact details or if your circumstances change. Contact the response centre on 01922 653252 during office hours to report any changes. Call recording All calls made to the Response Centre are recorded to monitor that Call Operators are taking appropriate action in all situations and to ensure your safety within your home, and for quality and training purposes. 9

Your guide to our Comments, Compliment and Complaints procedure: Walsall Council aims to provide the best service it can to the people of Walsall. Tell us about the things you think we got right and the things we didn t this helps us to make sure we strive to get things right in the future. Whatever your views we want to hear what you think. Complaints Procedure There are a number of ways in which your complaint can be resolved. Stage 1. By speaking with your contact person or Call Operator in the Response Centre and they will aim to sort the problem out within 24 hours where possible. Or Stage 2. If your complaint has been addressed and if you are still not satisfied then you ask that the complaint be escalated to the formal complaints process. This will require you completing a Complaints form. If you prefer you can speak to or contact a member of Walsall Council s Customer Care Team: Telephone: 01922 650487 or 01922 650488 Email: Text: customercareteamsocialcare@walsall.gov.uk 60003 start your message with Walsall SCC The customer care team will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days of receiving it. A member of the team will also try to contact you to make sure that we understand your complaint. They will talk with you about how you want your complaint resolving, the outcome you would like and how long you think this should take. 10

What if I am still not happy? Stage 3. Once your complaint has been considered and if you are still not satisfied there are a number of options available to you: You can contact the Customer Care Manager and ask for further consideration of your complaint You can contact the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) and ask for their advice Telephone: 0300 061 0614 or 0845 602 1983 Email: By Post: advice@lgo.org.uk The Local Government Ombudsman PO Box 4771 Coventry CV4 0EH 11

Appendix 1 Explanation of the equipment This section provides information on the community alarm service and the equipment that will be installed in your home. Community Alarm Personal pendant One alarm is provided per property. The alarm is programmed with an emergency number linking to the Response Centre. The alarm can be activated by pressing the red button on the front of the unit. The most important part of being within the community alarm service is the personal pendant. The pendant MUST be worn on your person at ALL times. It is waterproof so can be worn in the bath or the shower. The exception is at night, leave the pendant on the bedside table while you sleep, remember to put it on when you get up. Smoke Detectors Smoke Detectors will be fitted into your home by the West Midlands Fire Service. The smoke alarms automatically sound if there is smoke or fire in a property. The alarm is linked to the Response centre and will be answered as the highest priority call in the Response Centre. KeySafe The keysafe is a secure coded box located on the exterior of your property and stores your keys. The code to the keysafe is held by community alarm service. The code is only given out in the event of an emergency. This would happen if we could not get hold of your responder and the emergency services have to be called. This means we can provide emergency services with access to your property in order to get you medical attention or other support as soon as possible. 12

Appendix 2 Details of Payment Methods One-Off Payment Monthly by Direct Debit or Credit Card Monthly by Standing Order Pay in Person If you wish to pay the whole year charge in one lump sum, you can make the payment by any of the methods below. If you wish to pay monthly or make a one-off payment by Credit or Debit Card please phone Community Alarm service on telephone number 01922 652022 If you wish to pay monthly by standing order please request a standing order. You can pay in person at the banking hall in the Civic Centre. Please ensure if you pay by cash you collect an official receipt: Banking Hall First Stop Shop Civic Centre Walsall WS1 1TP Opening Times: Monday to Thursday 8.45am to 5.15pm Wednesday 9.30am to 5.15pm Friday 8.45am to 4.45pm Payment by Post To make a payment by post, send a cheque or postal order by post with the payment advice accompanying your remittance to the postal address below. Note: Cheques & Postal Orders should be crossed A/C Payee and made payable to Walsall M.B.C. Do not make cheques payable to an individual Walsall Council employee. Post to: Community Alarm Service Walsall Council PO Box 23 Walsall WS1 1TW 13

Appendix 3 Test Call Record Please use this chart to help keep a check on your test calls. Month Date of Test OK January February March April May June July August September October November December If you have a problem please call the Walsall Community Alarm Service 01922 653252 14

Walsall Community Alarm Privacy Statement Walsall Community Alarm Service is a part of Social Care and Inclusion Directorate within Walsall Council. In line with Walsall Council s policies, Walsall Community Alarm Service is committed to safeguarding the privacy of our service users and their personal data held within the service. This statement sets out how we will treat your personal information. Please read this carefully so that you understand our policies and practices with regard to the management, storage and handling of your personal data. Walsall Council is the Data Controller for Community Alarm Service and is fully committed to its obligations under the Data Protection Act 1989. If you have any questions please contact the Council s Data Protection Officer, Lynn Whitehouse, on either 01922 650 000 or by email: dataprotection@walsall.gov.uk. What information we may collect We may collect the following information: Contact details Details of medical history and health services you access, such as your GP and District Nurse Financial details and information related to transactions. We will also hold any information that you give to us, whether it is by post, email or by telephone. Please note that we record calls to the Response Centre and recordings will be retained for up to 12 months for monitoring, quality and training purposes. We require this information to understand your needs and provide you with a better service, and in particular for the following reasons: We may use the information to improve the service we provide to our clients. We may need to share the information with partner agencies, such as the Police, West Midlands Ambulance Service, West Midlands Fire Service, Walsall Healthcare Trust and your GP to ensure that we assist you and provide you with the support you require in a timely manner. From time to time, we may also use your information to contact you for consultation purposes and to tell you about changes to the service. We may contact you by email, phone, or mail. To ensure your safety when accessing our service. Although we take every precaution and steps to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee the security of your information if it is sent to us via e-mail from your personal computer. Any information sent to us via e-mail is at your own risk. Once we have received your information, we will use strict procedures and security measures to prevent unauthorised access. If you would like this information in another format or language contact us on 0845 111 2922. http://cms.walsall.gov.uk/index/social_care_and_health/helpathome/community_alarms-2.htm 15

How to Contact Community Alarm Service Walsall Community Alarm Service Walsall Response Centre Streets Corner Brownhills Road Walsall WS8 7BS Tel: 01922 653252 Fax: 01543 372947 Email: commalarms@walsall.gcsx.gov.uk