Safe and Sound

What is Safe and Sound?

Safe and Sound is part of Bradford Council’s Adult Social Care department. The service focuses on a person’s care, which supports you to stay safe and independent in your own home. It provides peace of mind for you and those who care about you. It offers help 24 hours a day 365 days a year, giving you independence and freedom in your own home, whilst safe in the knowledge that if there is an accident or if you have a fall, help is available.

Who is Safe and Sound for?

The service is available to anyone of any age which includes people:

• with health problems
• who have falls
• who are struggling with frailty or illness
• who have a diagnosis of dementia
• who live alone
• who have just come out of hospital
• who care for someone else

How do I access the service?

If you live in Bradford and pay Council Tax to Bradford Council, you can make a referral for yourself, for a friend or a member of your family to Safe and Sound by contacting 01274 435249 alternatively complete the referral form and email to safe&[email protected]. Your GP, District Nurse, Social worker or Occupational Therapist can also make referral on your behalf.

What do you need to have the service?

• A 240v plug socket / power point available for use
• The alarm base unit requires a power source and will connect to the control room operators via a SIM card

What is the cost for the Safe and Sound service?

The cost of Safe and Sound equipment packages varies and are detailed in the table below. The level of the cost will vary depending on the type of package you have.

Most packages provide 24-hour contact with the Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) and a response service apart from the standalone package where you rely on someone within your own home to support you.

You will start paying for the service on the day the equipment is installed in your home.

Safe and sound is subsidised by Bradford Council and the cost you pay is a contribution to the total cost of providing the service.

Further information on equipment and sensors can be found on the equipment information page.

Packages available

This indicates which sensors are compatible with each package.

Package	Connection to 24 hour monitoring centre and mobile response service	Cost per week (per household)	Additional sensors included in this package	One off installation charge
Stand Alone Notifier and Sensors - see the list below	Not applicable. Equipment is monitored in the home	£2.31	Yes	£25.00
Basic Package Unit and Basic Pendant	Yes	£8.62	No	£25.00
Home Safety Unit and Basic Pendant Plus 1 additional sensor from the list below	Yes	£10.00	Yes	£25.00
Home Safety Plus Unit and Basic Pendant Plus two additional sensors from the list below	Yes	£12.50	Yes	£25.00
Falls Package Unit and Falls detector Pendant	Yes	£10.46	No	£25.00
Falls Plus Unit and Falls detector Pendant Plus a range of connected sensors from the list below	Yes	£12.96	Yes	£25.00

For packages that include additional sensors please see below to see what is available.

Package type	Stand Alone Package	Home Safety Package	Home Safety Plus	Falls Plus Package
How many additional sensors available	Any	One	Two	Any

Types of sensors

Sensor	Stand Alone Package	Home Safety Package	Home Safety Plus	Falls Plus Package
Chair sensor	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Bed sensor	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Door sensor	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Smoke detector (pack of 2)	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Heat sensor	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Flood detector	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Floor sensor	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Bogus caller	No	Yes	Yes	Yes

Epilepsy sensor - Professional referral only accepted. A £25.00 installation fee will be applied plus the weekly standalone charge.

Medication dispenser - A £25.00 installation fee will be applied; however, no weekly charge is made when this is the only item required

Installation charges

There is an installation / set up fee of £25.00 charged to all new customers.

An additional fee of £25.00 is charged when a home visit is required due to a change of package type.

VAT

The user of the Safe and Sound Service may be eligible to claim relief from value added tax under Group 14 of Schedule 5 of the Value Added Tax (VAT) Act 1983. The installer will provide a document for completion at the time of installation.

How it works and what to expect

Following the initial referral into the service area, a Customer Support officer will contact the named persons to discuss the request that has been made. During this discussion, an appointment for an Installer to attend the property will be made to complete the installation of the chosen products.

Once an installation is complete, you will be asked to place a test call into the Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) – this demonstrates to you how the system will work during an emergency activation and helps you to introduce yourself to the ARC team and provides confidence that the system is fully connected.

Once the test call is complete and it is confirmed that you are connected to the ARC, the Installer will leave the property. Should you require any emergency assistance, you can activate your alarm and request help from the Control Room Operators who are on site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Please look at the descriptions below for additional package information and equipment descriptions.

Package information

Stand Alone

This package is designed for carers who have disturbed sleep due to night-time risks or for people who prefer not to be connected to a 24-hour monitoring service and want the alert to go through to someone in the home.

When the telecare sensor is activated, the Notifier will vibrate, beep and light up the screen to alert the carer to the incident, allowing them to take speedy and appropriate action. A variety of telecare sensors can be attached to this device dependent on the individual need.

This package does not connect to the Safe and Sound Control Room

Basic Package

Ideal for people who want reassurance that in the event of an emergency incident, they will be able to send an alert by pressing the button on the pendant or alarm unit to speak to one of our control operators 24 hours a day 365 days a week.

Home Safety Package

This includes the alarm base unit and basic pendant plus one additional sensor depending on your needs.

Ideal for people who may need some extra support to protect their well-being within the home environment.

If there is an incident, users can press their pendant to raise an alarm or the button on the alarm base unit. Alternatively, attached sensors will send an automated signal when activated.

Either of the above activations will connect to the Safe and Sound control room operators who will respond by arranging appropriate help – this could be either the Responder service, named carer, next of kin or emergency services.

Home Safety Plus

This includes the alarm base unit and basic pendant plus two additional sensors depending on your needs.

This is an extension to the Home Safety package and provides access to additional sensors for people with complex needs

If there is an incident, users can press their pendant to raise an alarm or the button on the alarm base unit. Alternatively, attached sensors will send an automated signal when activated.

Either of the above activations will connect to the Safe and Sound operators who will respond by arranging appropriate help – this could be either the Responder Service, named carer, next of kin or emergency services.

Falls Package

Ideal for people who may have falls regularly and are unable to press a pendant to request help from the Safe and Sound operators. This may be due to memory problems or additional needs.

These devices will send an automated signal should it identify a fall which consists of a drop to the floor but not, for example a slide from a chair. You can also press the button on the device to call for help if needed.

Either of the above activations will connect to the Safe and Sound operators who will respond by arranging appropriate help – this could be either the Responder service, named carer, next of kin or emergency services.

Falls Plus Package

Ideal for people who may have falls regularly and are unable to press a pendant to summon help from the Safe and Sound operators. This may be due to memory problems or additional needs.

This package is an extension to the Falls Package and provides access to additional sensors for people with complex needs. It also provides the option of other sensors that might help if someone falls such as bed/chair sensor.

These devices will send an automated signal should it identify a fall which consists of a drop to the floor but not, for example a slide from a chair. You can also press the button on the device to call for help if needed.

Either of the above activations will connect to the Safe and Sound control room operators who will respond by arranging appropriate help – this could be either the Responder service, named carer, next of kin or emergency services.

What happens when I request the service?

Referral

A referral can be made to our Safe and Sound team through several routes. People are often referred to us by Health or Social Care professionals, but referrals can be made directly to our Safe and Sound team by you or a family member or friend, simply by completing a referral form (Word document). You can also speak to a member of our team on 01274 435249.

Initial discussion

A member of our team will contact an individual to clarify any missing information from the referral form and book a visit with one our Technology Enabled Care (TEC) Installer. Any costs related to the package being supplied are available above but can be confirmed on the call.

Installation visit

The visit from one of our TEC installers will involve the installation of all equipment, a demonstration and a test call to ensure the equipment is connected. You will be required to sign a loan agreement form and VAT exemption form.

Each person is left with information and guidance about using the Safe and Sound service.

Monitoring

Once the sensors or devices are in place and working then you can raise an alert. The 24-hour ARC will be available to provide assistance and reassurance at any time of the day or night.

I already receive adult social care services. Will I still have to pay?

Yes, the cost of Safe and Sound service is not part of the financial assessments that are completed if you receive other care and support services like homecare, this would be an additional contribution.

Do I have to pay the full amount of the invoice in one payment?

No, payment can be made by instalments, and the methods of payment are on the reverse of the invoice.

If you want to pay by instalments, you will need to contact the Accounts Receivable Team to confirm how and when your payments will be made, on telephone 01274 437724.

Changes to TEC Equipment

Your need for the equipment might change over time due to changes in your support network, health, or housing. You may need more equipment or no longer need it. If this happens, please call our team on 01274 435249, and they will help.

Ending the service

If you no longer need the Safe and Sound service, please inform us by calling 01274 435249. Your service will end on the date you notify us, and your final invoice will be adjusted to reflect this. Any activations made following your request to cancel the service will not be responded to as your device will be deactivated.

All items supplied must be returned or additional charges will be incurred.

For more information

You can:

• call the Independence Advice Hub on 01274 435400
• contact the Independence Advice Hub using the online form
• telephone us on 01274 435249 (during office hours)
• telephone us on 01274 434994 (out of office hours)
• email us at safe&[email protected]