FOI Request - Telecare/Social Services
Request 101004036333
Telecare Alarm Receiving Centre Survey – 2026 |
Please treat this as a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000? This survey is being issued to UK public service organisations that provide Telecare services to vulnerable residents? The information you provide will help us build an accurate picture of current service pressures, operational challenges, and the wider social care landscape? All responses will be used solely for internal statistical analysis and to better understand the requirements of the UK marketplace? No identifying details about any responding organisation will be shared with external companies? Your participation is greatly appreciated?
1. 
What is the name of your organisation?
2. If you do NOT provide an alarm receiving centre, but instead contract these services to an external organisation – please name the organisations that are operating an alarm answering centre on your behalf: - (see below)
NOTE – IF YOU DO NOT OPERATE AN INTERNAL ALARM RECEIVING CENTRE YOURSELF – THIS IS THE END OF THE SURVEY? ONLY QUESTION 1) AND 2) NEED TO BE ANSWERED AND RETURNED? THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION.
The following questions relate to GENERAL INFORMATION relating to your ARC
3. Please give the name and contact details (email & phone number if permissible) of senior staff involved in the running of your telecare services: -
a) SENIOR DIRECTOR WITH RESPONSIBILITY FOR TELECARE |
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b) OPERATIONAL MANAGER FOR THE ALARM CENTRE |
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c) IT MANAGER OR OTHER SIGNIFICANT PERSON |
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4. What alarm receiving software platform do you use, what is the contract expiry date for this platform and how many device connections do you have?
PLATFORM NAME | NUMBER OF DEVICE CONNECTIONS |
a) ENOVATION UMO |
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b) JONTEK ANSWERLINK |
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c) CHUBB SKYRESPONSE |
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d) TUNSTALL
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e) OTHER NOT LISTED ABOVE
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WELLBEING CALLS Q&A
5. Are you presently engaging in regular outbound calls with your service users? Please feel free to add comments.
☐ | YES |
☐ | NO |
☐ | OCCASIONALLY |
6. Q&A re outbound/ Wellbeing calls for those ARCS that provide this service;
QUESTION | ANSWER |
a) How many wellbeing calls are you doing per day on average? |
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b) How many service users are you running welfare checks on (average)? |
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c) What is the total number of outbound wellbeing calls made in the last 12 months? |
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d) How long do you estimate an average call will take?
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e) Who tends to make these calls (title/seniority)?
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f) Is this a contractual requirement with commissioners or self‑initiated? |
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g) What percentage of outbound calls are routine? |
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h) Are there periods (nights, weekends, peak demand) when a wellbeing call may slip or be missed? If so, what % of calls could this effect? |
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i) Have you had any incidents or near misses where a missed wellbeing call may have contributed? |
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j) Is there a typical profile of people receiving wellbeing calls (age, vulnerability, ethnicity, medical conditions)? |
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k) What is the biggest challenge you are facing now (capacity, consistency, cost, etc)?
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l) Is language ever an issue with such calls? |
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m) Do you sometimes have a backlog or unmet demand for outbound wellbeing calls? |
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7. If you are not proactively including outbounds/wellbeing calls into your telecare services (such as automated messaging & even A/I), is this something you may be looking to do in the future.
INBOUND CALLS Q&A -
8. INBOUND calls -
QUESTION | ANSWER |
a) Total number of inbound telecare alarm calls handled by your ARC in the last 12 months? |
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b) Percentage of inbound calls categorised as false alarms, accidental activations, or non‑urgent? |
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c) Average time to answer inbound telecare calls? |
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d) Average call handling duration? |
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e) Percentage of inbound calls escalated to emergency services?
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f) Number of Full‑Time Equivalent (FTE) operators currently staffing the ARC?
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g) Average cost of FTE
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h) Annual staff turnover rate within the ARC? |
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I)Are any automated or digital triage systems are currently used for inbound calls (please specify if applicable)? |
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j) What is your estimated percentage of inbound calls that do not require human intervention?
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9. Operational Pressures, service demands, costs and efficiency
QUESTION | ANSWER |
a) Have you experienced any operational challenges in your ARC in the last 12 months? Feel free to comment. |
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b) Any you expecting any increase in call volumes due to demographic, service changes or for other reasons? |
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c) Have you any unmet demand for telecare support or wellbeing monitoring? |
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d) Are you expecting service reductions or modifications due to staffing or financial constraints?
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e) What percentage of calls are occurring outside standard working hours? |
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f) Are there any planned changes to your telecare service model in the next 12–24 months?
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g) Are you are considering digital or automated solutions for inbound call triage? |
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h) Are you are considering digital or automated solutions for outbound wellbeing calls? |
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I)Would you would be open to evaluating new technologies that reduce operator workload? |
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j) Are you TSA accredited? |
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k) Do you have any upcoming TSA audits? |
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l) How do you feel about AI support in the ARC – both positive and negative comments as applicable? |
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9) From an operational, cost & efficiency viewpoint, if you could rate your main concerns from 1 to 3 (as in 1 being most worrying) what would these be? Please, feel free to elaborate:
1 – most concerning |
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2- moderately concerning |
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3- slightly concerning |
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Bottom of FormThank you for taking the time to complete this survey? We appreciate that it is longer than usual, and we apologise for the number of questions. However, every question reflects issues that are both topical and increasingly important for the sector? Your responses provide valuable insight into current pressures, emerging risks, and the evolving needs within social care and telecare provision?
Thank you again for your contribution — it is genuinely appreciated.
