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SPRING / SUMMER

features...Care & Repair - Government puts ageing firmly on the housing agenda..

Age Concern campaign ‘more money in your pocket’

In the Limelight

Financial help for therising cost of energy

news...news...news...

A warm

Firstly we want to say a big THANKYOU for choosing

Worcestershire TeleCare to help your clients, patients and

people you care about live safe and independent lives. We

want to ensure that we are always providing you with an

excellent level of service and that means continuing to listen

to your views on how we can improve. So, in this issue we

have included a Reader Survey for you to complete and

send back to us.

We have also featured articles which cover some of the

issues that directly affect some of the people you may work

with or care for, to enable you to help them live confidently

in their own homes. We would love to hear your views so

please fill in our survey and tell us some of the issues you

would like to see us cover in our newsletter.

We hope you enjoy our newsletter and once again, thank

you for working with us to provide safe and independent

living for all our customers.

Head of Worcestershire TeleCare

The Community HousingGroup (TCHG) based in Kidderminster acting onbehalf of a consortium ofRSL’s, was selected as thepreferred bidder to take over the future management and development of the service with effect from1 April 2008. The othermembers of the consortium are Festival Housing Group,Rooftop Housing Group and Worcester CommunityHousing.

The local councils will join the partnership with representation on the Boardof the new Worcestershire TeleCare Company and will continue to be involved in the wider strategicdevelopment of telecare inthe community.

Commenting on thetransfer to The CommunityHousing Group, Head of Worcestershire TeleCare Robert Redman said‘This is an exciting andunique development in

Worcestershire bringingtogether the major RSL’s in a partnership with local Councils. This partnershipwill build on the existing excellent services and helpmaintain WorcestershireTeleCare’s position as aleading Telecare serviceprovider in the region.’

Yvonne Leishman,Managing Director of The Community Housing Group said ‘We are excited about Worcestershire TeleCare being part of this new strategic partnership which will build on the reputationof the four Housing Associations for delivering first class, people centred services across the County.The merger will allow further investment in thisexpanding telecare andsupport business, providing more opportunities to support our local communities, whilst being efficient and enhancing effective partnership working in the County.’

Please call: (mon-fri 9.00am - 5.00pm) or you can log onto

To realise the potential of TeleCare to help our clients live safe, independent lives...

SPRING / SUMMER

The cost of living is going up all the

time and Age Concern are passionate

about ensuring older people are claiming

everything that they are owed. This extra

money can help pay household bills

and other essentials like food, heating,

taxis, petrol, home repairs, equipment,

gardening, cleaning and care services.

Local Age Concern charities can provide

a free benefits check or they can put

individuals in touch with someone else who

can. They will also help the individual to

fill in claim forms and may be able to visit

them in their home to do so.

Some of the areas that an advisor will

cover with them will be ensuring that they

are receiving the level of pension they

should be receiving. For example, do they

qualify for a pension credit which tops up

their weekly income?

Are they entitled to a reduction in their

Council Tax bill? Age Concern states that

around 2.2 million pensioner households

are missing out on Council Tax Benefit that

could reduce their average council tax bill

by £645 a year (you can read further detail

on this in their information booklet)

The Age Concern ‘More Money In Your

Pocket’ campaign covers all these issues

and many more so if you work with older

or vulnerable people, make sure you

phone their free National Information

Line on . You can also find

your nearest Age Concern by calling this

number or you can visit

. By phoning this number or visiting

this site you can also ask for the Age

Concern Information Guides which are free

and cover benefi ts advice in more depth.

More money in

your pocket is a

new campaign

from Age Concern

that ‘does what

it says on the

tin’ helping older

people claim their

rightful benefits.

The cost of living is going up all the

time and Age Concern are passionate

about ensuring older people are claiming

Are they entitled to a reduction in their

Council Tax bill? Age Concern states that

around 2.2 million pensioner households

More money in your pocket!More money in your pocket!



SPRING / SUMMER



SPRING / SUMMER

Yvonne has worked in housing for 30 years and in 2005 was presentedwith an OBE for her contributionsto Social Housing.

Here, she shares with us how shesees the future of telecare and howWorcestershire TeleCare aims to be the leading telecare service provider in the region.

1. Yvonne, what are some of thesignificant changes you have seenin the world of telecare since youhave worked in the social housing environment?The changes in technology have beenmassive. We have moved from basic press button response systems tointegrated interactive aids that reach intoevery facet of someone’s life. It mirrors the technological leap we have seen inareas such as computers and telephony.

2. How do you see telecare as beingkey in the provision of social care in our communities?Our communities are changing withgrowing populations of older and frailerindividuals linked to improvements in our environment and health care. We have also seen dramatic social changeswith more mobility and spreading offamilies not just across the UK but acrossthe world.

In turn this has resulted in more isolation for many vulnerable people, leaving them at risk.

I see telecare offering a real opportunity for individuals and service providers, in keeping regular communication, giving confidence for people living alone to get on with their lives in the knowledge that support is there if they require it.

I see telecare signposting people toother service facilities, which can be provided through professional, statutory and voluntary organisations.

3. What developments in the area oftelecare do you see occurring over the next few years and how will this impact the level and qualityof social care vulnerable peoplereceive in their own homes?The preventative agenda and growth of telehealth will be a growing area for telecare over the coming period. The expansion of the property and personal sensors for those at risk from falls, dementia or in need of short-term support following hospital admission is an example of this.

There will be growth in support services for younger vulnerable people with complex needs, which will enable newservice opportunities for independent living.

The technology is also becomingquite sophisticated around telehealthwith remote monitoring of personalhealth highlighting problems arisingand allowing early intervention and support where required. I expect to see a growth in partnerships with health care providers within the sector over thecoming years.

The role of telecare in personal securityis also growing, whether supporting individuals at risk of domestic violence,

lone workers, or security of personal and business premises

4.How do you see the recent partnership between The Community Housing Group and Worcestershire TeleCare enhancing the service that is provided to vulnerable people and the people that work with them?We are delighted that Worcestershire TeleCare has joined The Community Housing Group and see this as a key opportunity to develop both telecare and complementary Care and Support Services across the region.

What makes this unique, is the Partnership between the four Housing Associations: Festival Housing Group, Rooftop Housing Group, Worcester Community Housing and Wyre Forest Sheltered Housing who have formed a consortium to develop and support these services across Worcestershire.

We see clear synergy between Worcestershire TeleCare and the four Associations, which will allow us to offer co-ordinated, new and innovative services to residents and businesses supporting vulnerable residents in Worcestershire.

5. At this early stage of the partnership, what is your vision over the next few years for theprovision of social care through the telecare services that Worcestershire TeleCare provide?Our vision is to help people lead safe, healthy independent and fulfilling lives in a manner they would choose. Our priorities for the next couple of years will be ensuring that both directly and through our partners that we make access to these services affordable and widely available, tailoring them to suit the individual needs of our customers.

In the Limelight

Government puts ageingfirmly on the housing agenda



SPRING / SUMMER

National housing charity,Care & Repair, has warmlywelcomed ‘Lifetime homes, lifetime Neighbourhoods’ –the governments new strategyfor housing an ageing society.

Care and Repair England is a national charity that was set up in 1986 by Shelter and the Housing Associations Charitable Trust (hact). Their aim is to improve thehousing and living conditions of older and disabled people, particularly for those occupying poor quality private sector housing, thereby enabling them to ‘stay put’ in their own homes in greater comfort andsecurity.

Speaking of the new government strategy, Sue Adam, Director of Care & Repair, England, said ‘This strategy challenges everyone concerned with housing, planning, and related services to takethe demographic revolution seriously. Older people make up nearly a third of households and 90% live in mainstream housing. This new strategy reflects that reality and recognises the fact that older people are a major and growing force in the housing market.’

Care and Repair has particularly welcomed the increased funding for Disabled Facilities Grants and for the small repairs andminor adaptations services (‘handyperson schemes’) that it has championed for the past 20 years.

The phased introduction of Lifetime HomesStandards in all new housing, is also strongly supported by the charity, as thisresponds to key messages from olderpeople about wanting more adaptablehousing.

‘Moving older people from the margins to the centre of housing policy is a crucial response to population ageing ’ said Peter Archer, Chair of Care & Repair England. ’This strategy goes a long way towards that and we look forward to working with the government to achieve its vision of inclusive housing and neighbourhoods for people of all ages.’

Care & Repair England’s aim is to innovate, develop, promote and support housing related policies and practical initiatives which enable older and disabled people to live independently in their own homes for as long as they wish.

On a local level, Care & Repair South Worcestershire helps homeowners and private sector tenants who are older, disabled or on low income to repair, maintain or adapt their homes. Many of these people are unsure where to turn for help. They are concerned about letting people into their homes and worried about employing ‘cowboy’ builders.

The mission of Care & Repair South Worcestershire is to ensure that older people have the best possible advice on their housing options and to helpthem live independently for as long as possible. Living longer should mean living well, not more years spent in unsuitable accommodation especially for those with a chronic illness or disability.

As a local provider of home improvement services Care & Repair SouthWorcestershire also welcome the Government’s new strategy and their proposals to expand their role. If you wouldlike more information contact Care & Repair South Worcestershire you can call them direct on .

Did you know?Worcestershire TeleCare is a premiummember of the Telecare ServicesAssociation (TSA). This means that allof the telecare services that we providehave to meet stringent standards and aresubject to independent annual inspection.

Part of our membership means that our servicesneed to achieve a certain level. For example,TSA have set a standard that 80% of our callsshould be answered within 30 seconds. Ourperformance results for 2007/8 reveal thatWorcestershire TeleCare answered 89.87% ofour calls within 30 seconds, exceeding thetarget.

We can also report that nearly 5% of the callsthat we received in that period were due to an emergency and a customer needing urgentassistance.

To ensure we receive regular feedback from our customers, each month Worcestershire TeleCare distribute quality surveys to a number of clientsselected randomly who have activated a callduring that month. Over a 12 month period, ourresults show that of the forms received, nearly 96% were completely satisfied with our servicewith 2.63% offering no comment. Where a ‘notcompletely’ satisfied response was received, thereason was investigated immediately and anynecessary remedial action was put in place.

We want to provide our customers and businesspartners with an excellent level of service.Please remember to fill in our Reader Survey atthe back of this newsletter to provide us withyour views.

More information about the TSA code ofpractice will feature in future issues of Connect.Watch this space.

Financial help for the rising cost of energy...

Ofgem is the official body that regulate energy suppliers and their aim is to bring choice and value to all gas andelectricity customers by promotingcompetition and regulating monopolies.

Did you know that consumers spend more than a tenth of their income on energy? Because of this, Ofgem arepulling together an action programmethat will include measures to make sure that help is pinpointed on people who genuinely need it. They are also enforcing a stronger supplier commitment to provide clear information to guide theelderly and other vulnerable consumersto the best offerings.

At Worcestershire TeleCare, we have acommitment to help vulnerable peoplelive safe and independent lives so wehave provided you with a checklist toensure you have the information youneed when working with someone who isvulnerable.

The steps below will help someone you care about or work with make an informed choice and receive every bit of financial help they are entitled to.

1. Contact your energy supplier and ask them to talk you through the following:

electricity tariffs to those on low incomes? If so are you entitled to that?

payment methods?

Service Register? If you are of a pensionable age, disabled or chronically sick you can qualify for the PSR. This service entitles you to additional services free of charge such as; password schemes, bills available in large print, Braille as well as talking bills, bill nominee scheme, priority in an emergency.

Address all these issues with your energy supplier and if you don’t feel you’re getting the best deal, shop around.

You may have heard in

the news that Ofgem

have recently agreed a

package of measures

that will help to target

customers who are a

suffering hardship as a

result of the rising cost

of energy.



SPRING / SUMMER

Very Frequently (eg; weekly) Frequently (eg; monthly)

Occasionally Never

Better value for money

Additional services (please specify)

Other

Worestershire TeleCare

Friendly Yes No Professional Yes No

Accessible Yes No Helpful Yes No

Informative Yes No Reliable Yes No

Worcestershire TeleCare

Yes No

Better value for money

Additional services (please specify)

Other

2. To get further advice on shopping around for the best dealand level of service, the Energy Saving Trust offer free,independent and local energy saving advice. Phone them free on

3. The Home Heat Helpline (the Energy Retail Association)represents energy suppliers and provides a free national helpline for vulnerable customers having difficulties payingtheir bills. Phone

4. Have you applied for your Winter Fuel Payment? Up to £250can be awarded to help with fuel payments for those over 60 and those over 80 can claim up to £400. For a claimform and more information contact the Winter Fuel PaymentHotline on .

5. Warm Front is a Government funded initiative and theyprovide advice on grants available to make homes warmer,healthier and more energy efficient.Call them on

Worcestershire TeleCare also provide a variety of options thatprovide the reassurance people need to live independently intheir own homes such as Carbon monoxide detectors, boguscaller alarms and much more.

Call our team of advisors on



SPRING / SUMMER

Are you a lone worker? If so we canhelp you feel safe working alone.

readers

Worcestershire TeleCare is a member of the TSA, the nationally recognised association for providers of telecare alarm services.

If you would like to contact Worcestershire TeleCare please call

You can write to us at Worcestershire TeleCare, PO box 145, Malvern, WR14 3ZPOr you can log onto

If you or some one you know would prefer this newsletter in another format, size or language, please contact

The Worcestershire TeleCare Partnership.

readers

contact

SPRING / SUMMER

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