Popular personal alarm service helps vulnerable people stay safe at home during pandemic

A personal alarm service is proving to be a vital resource to vulnerable people across Kent, providing 24-hour monitoring to help people remain safe and independent at home.

The telecare service, delivered by Centra Pulse and Connect, has also seen an increase in demand since the COVID-19 outbreak.

Centra, part of Doro Group, is one of the leading providers of telecare in the UK, helping to support over 200,000 people live independently and safely in their own homes. It has provided the telecare contract to 7,000 people on behalf of Kent County Council (KCC) since 2015.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Centra’s personal alarm service has offered peace of mind for family members who are worried about a relative if they don’t live nearby or can’t visit them due to the risk of infection. There has also been a rise in older people who need to self-isolate due to being more vulnerable to catching the virus.

Mark Hogan, Independent Living Support Services Manager at KCC, commented: “Centra provides a critical lifeline to many people currently self-isolating or shielding. If people are anxious, fall at home or have an epilepsy incident they can talk to someone immediately to obtain assistance or access to emergency services.

“Centra have very successfully implemented their business continuity arrangements to ensure staff can work from home whilst still ensuring they provide a responsive service and continue to proactively seek new ways to support the wider community, alongside statutory services, during the current crisis.”

The equipment and alarm from Centra can be posted and self-installed to minimise contact with people.

Rachel Kennerly, Doro Regional Manager, said: “Our field-based teams in Kent have done an amazing job during the COVID-19 pandemic. The feedback from clients has been wonderful, they are so grateful that the teams are still be able to support them, while taking additional safety precautions.

“In Kent we continue to offer support to clients who has just been discharged from hospital or now need additional help from home. The team has adapted to lots of changes and they have all done a brilliant job.”

During the coronavirus outbreak, Doro has also worked with NHS Cheshire CCG to successfully launch the COVID-19 Discharge Service, which enables speedy hospital discharges across Cheshire through the rapid deployment of telecare packages to patients’ homes when they are able to leave hospital.