**Careline provider scam call alert**
If you receive a call from anyone claiming to be from a Careline provider, please do not give them any personal details. If you're in any doubt please call us on 0300 5000 926.
Careline applications
Please note that we're not currently accepting new applications for Careline. If you have any questions, please get in touch.
Careline is a small organisation within SNG (Sovereign Network Group) dedicated to supporting older and vulnerable people living in their own homes.
This support is achieved through using high technology monitoring and communication devices in the customer's home. The customer can then easily summon help themselves.
These services are monitored by our highly trained and experienced operators from our care centre, based in Newbury. When our operators receive a call from a customer, they will take whatever action is required to deal with the situation. This could include: simply talking to and reassuring the customer, calling a neighbour or relative, calling a scheme manager or social worker or, when required, calling the emergency services.
What is a care alarm?
A care alarm is a service that allows you to get help in an emergency:
- within your home or garden;
- at any time of day or night; and
- every day of the year.
How does it work?
The alarm has its own internal SIM card that works the same way as a mobile phone, so you will no longer need to have a landline if you want to have an alarm. If you press your pendant, the alarm will place a call to our care centre and an operative can talk to you through the alarm. Each alarm unit has a sensitive microphone and speaker built into it.
If you do need to use the alarm to call for help, all you need to do is press the pendant (alarm trigger) or the red button on the unit itself. This will immediately send your call through to us. Our fully trained operators will be able to quickly contact your friends, relatives or the emergency services, depending on your need. False alarms sometimes happen, but our operators are used to this and will treat all these calls as a test call.
What areas are covered?
The areas we cover for the private alarm service supply are East Reading, West Berkshire, Basingstoke, Christchurch and Southampton.
How much will it cost?
We will install the equipment and connect your home to the care centre for a small fee each week. You can also buy or hire extra pendants. Please read about our services and charges below.
Who needs a care alarm?
Anyone of any age can use a care alarm, especially if you live alone, feel vulnerable, are disabled or have been the victim of crime. You may want an alarm just so you know that you could get help if you could not reach your phone.
How is the care alarm installed?
All you need is an electrical socket; the equipment can be fitted easily by simply plugging it in, then pressing the pendant to test it.
Mission statement
- We try to help you live independently with the support of our emergency alarm service.
- We will treat every alarm call as an emergency until we are sure what action we need to take.
- We will treat everyone in line with our equality and diversity policies.
- We will always try to improve our service by listening and responding to your feedback.
Our careline aims to keep to the following service standards
- We will answer 97% of all emergency calls within 60 seconds.
- We will monitor and record calls to the care centre to help train our staff and look at how we can improve our service.
- We will operate our service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
- We will ask your keyholder to confirm that they agree that we can call them in an emergency.
- We will make sure that we update information we hold every year and we will work in line with data protection laws.
- When visiting you at home, our staff will carry an identity card and show it to you.
- We will carry out satisfaction surveys and hold regular focus group meetings so you can tell us what you think of our services, and make our performance reports available for you to look at.
- When we install the telecare equipment, we will explain the system to you and make sure you are happy with how it works.
- We will advise that you test the alarm at least once every month.
- If you need the emergency services at home, we will try to contact a keyholder to give them access. If a keyholder is not available, the emergency services may have to use force to get into your home which you will be responsible for, if any damage is caused. We can give information about keysafes (where a spare key is kept that the emergency services can use if they need to).
- If you ask us, we will remove the alarm equipment if you have to go in to hospital for a long time. We will not charge you for this period. We can reconnect the service if you contact us when you return home at a cost of £20.
- We will always make an appointment with you before we visit you at home.
**Please note that a new pricing structure is currently under review and the charges below will be updated in due course. If you have any questions, please email sovereigncareline@sovereign.org.uk**
Standard monitoring service, equipment rental and monitoring 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
The areas we cover for the private alarm service supply are East Reading, West Berkshire, Basingstoke, Christchurch and Southampton.
| For customers living in the West Berkshire Council area | From £2.75 per week |
| For customers living outside the West Berkshire Council area | From £3.30 per week |
| Alarms being used temporarily | £50 single payment |
| We will charge you for lost units | £199 plus VAT |
| Monitoring only | From £1 per week |
| Installation | £20 |
Prices do not include VAT.
Extra Services
- Hiring an extra pendant - £1.15 per week
- Buying an extra pendant - £60
- Replacing a lost pendant - £60
- Daily reassurance call - From 83p per call
Prices do not include VAT - Please note that we will not charge VAT to people who are exempt under HM Customs and Excise guidelines.
Learn more about the kind of equipment routinely supplied by the care centre.
Base unit
The base unit is the heart of the system. Each unit contains a microphone and loudspeaker to enable communication with the care centre operator without the need to use a phone.
Trigger unit
Trigger units can be worn as a pendant, wristband or clipped to the customers clothing. Pushing the button will sound an alarm in the care centre and help will be summoned by an operator. Range will depend on the trigger make and house design, but, typically will cover most normal houses and gardens.
Example of equipment
Chubb digital alarm
Smartlife digital alarm
If you're thinking of becoming a key-holding assistant for someone with an emergency care alarm, the following information explains about the responsibilities of key holders and key safes.
How it works
A care alarm allows people to live independently in their own homes while providing peace of mind that if there is an emergency they can get help quickly.
Anyone with a care alarm can send a call through to us simply by pressing the pendant trigger or the red button on the care alarm itself. Our fully trained operators will take the call, assess the situation and get appropriate help.
Your role
The role of the key-holding assistant is to provide help to the person when they trigger their alarm and contact us. This means we might have to phone you at any time during the day or night. When we call, we’ll ask you to either check the wellbeing of the person or give them practical help. For example, you might need to let them into their home if they have locked themselves out.
If the person using the alarm tells us they need the emergency services (for example, if they have fallen and hurt themselves or if there is a disturbance at their property), our operators will dial 999 immediately. We’ll only ask you to check on the person if our operators don’t get a response from them through their alarm or on the phone.
As a rule, we always ask for at least two nominated key-holders when we install an emergency alarm for someone. This means we have a better chance of getting help to a person if, for any reason, one of the key-holders is unavailable (for example, if they’re on holiday). It also means the responsibility can be shared between two or preferably more people, and that there should always be someone available.
If you’re happy to be nominated as a key-holding assistant, we’ll keep your name, address and contact phone numbers on our computer database. We’ll only use this information if we need to call and ask for your help.
All the information we hold on our systems is stored confidentially under the Data Protection Act. We will not give your details to anyone else for marketing or any other associated purposes.
What is a key safe?
Key safes are small heavy-duty metal safes that can only be opened using a special code.
They can be fitted to most properties and are a secure way of storing a spare key to a home. We hold key safe code numbers safely on our system and only issue them to the emergency services and nominated key-holders so they can gain access quickly.