First reported 24 Jan 2014•Latest report 4 Apr 2025
Definition
What this concern includes
Includes failures of controls specifically dedicated to safe telecare service provision, including operator competence and supervision, approval or authorisation before closing calls, accreditation or recognised quality standards, alarm handling, linked alarm arrangements and related telecare governance controls.
Not included
Excludes generic training, staffing, supervision or governance deficiencies unless they are explicitly tied to telecare service safety.
Excludes fire-safety, emergency-response or home-care deficiencies without a direct telecare service connection.
Excludes failures of a particular alarm device or household arrangement where the telecare service's safety control is not itself deficient.
Excludes neutral descriptions of telecare provision or accreditation that do not identify an unsafe or unreliable control.
Reports
10
Distinct published reports
Individual concerns
25
A report can raise multiple concerns
Date range
2014–2025
First to latest report issue date
Stated actions
14
Described in published responses
Reports over time
Reports over time
Reports about this concern issued each year.
* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.
Most frequent recipients
Most frequent recipients
Reports about this concern sent to each recipient.
Care Quality Commission2
Elmbridge Borough Council2
TSA – The Voice of Technology Enabled Care2
Appello Limited1
Association of Ambulance Chief Executives1
Barnet Assist1
Chartered Trading Standards Institute1
Conwy County Borough Council1
CSS Telecare Service1
Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy1
Department of Health and Social Care1
Epsom & Ewell Borough Council1
Home Office1
Hotpoint UK Appliances Limited1
London Borough of Brent1
London borough council3
Private limited company3
Professional membership body3
English district council2
Health and social care service regulator2
Local authority service2
Ministerial department2
Registered provider of social housing2
Community interest company1
Company1
Executive non-departmental public body1
Health-sector membership body1
NHS trust1
Product safety regulator1
Sub-organisation1
Concerns and responses across reports
Only concerns grouped under this recurring concern are included. Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.
Berkshire
Concerns raised1
Failure of careline guidelines to accommodate users with impaired communication and cognitive processing
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.3
Action
Review learning from the report during the next QSF scheme change to inform stronger criteria and refined TEC operator questioning techniques.
Stated by TEC Services Association C.I.C.Stated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 11 April 2025.
Action
Review programme two of the TEC Quality mandatory CPD workforce training with TEC sector and external stakeholder contributions.
Stated by TEC Services Association C.I.C.Stated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 11 April 2025.
Action
Review the Decision Support Tool for TEC operators as part of the QSF scheme change process.
Stated by TEC Services Association C.I.C.Stated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 11 April 2025.
Inner North London
Concerns raised1
Lack of a clear allocation of duties and responsibilities for reporting wrist-alarm faults
This report raised 5 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
Action
Report faulty pendants to the responsible telecare provider and commissioning local authority.
Stated by Supreme Care Services LimitedStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 14 June 2024.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.3
Position
Supplying, maintaining, repairing or replacing faulty pendants falls outside the domiciliary care provider’s role and contractual requirements.
Stated by Supreme Care Services LimitedOutside remitThe respondent said that this matter was outside its role or authority.
Position
The telecare provider is responsible for supplying, routinely testing, monitoring, maintaining, repairing and replacing faulty pendants.
Stated by Supreme Care Services LimitedRedirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
Position
The local authority should take primacy to act and ensure repair or an alternative is commissioned for faulty pendants.
Stated by Supreme Care Services LimitedRedirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
Inner North London
Concerns raised2
Failure to review telecare services in light of increased fire risk and deteriorating mobility
Failure to answer telecare fire calls as a priority
This report raised 3 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.5
Action
Publish the “What Good Looks Like” framework, including guidance for local authorities on considering technology-enabled care and linked preventative devices.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 20 October 2022.
Action
Issue an updated Adult Social Care Digital Skills Framework supporting workforce training and regular review of technology use in care plans.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 20 October 2022.
Action
Develop the British Standard for technology-enabled care assessment, risk, design, installation and maintenance through BSI committee work.
Stated by TEC Services Association C.I.C.Stated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 20 October 2022.
Action
Implement the completed British Standard’s requirements within the Quality Standards Framework and audit certified installation companies against them.
Stated by TEC Services Association C.I.C.Stated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 20 October 2022.
Action
Commence development of a Fire Call Handling Pathway Decision Support Tool after completing the Ambulance tool, with NFCC and LFB support if available.
Stated by TEC Services Association C.I.C.Stated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 20 October 2022.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.5
Position
Telecare and fire-service matters fall outside regulation, leaving no powers to prevent future deaths concerning those services.
Stated by Care Quality CommissionOutside remitThe respondent said that this matter was outside its role or authority.
Position
Local authorities commissioning telecare services determine contract requirements, including device maintenance and reviewing device use.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareRedirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
Position
The investigation found no evidence that involved TEC services were specifically at fault, while identifying disjointed agency working as significant.
Stated by TEC Services Association C.I.C.Disputes the concernThe respondent disagreed with part of the concern or the basis for it.
Position
Coordination of care and TEC provision should have been undertaken by the commissioning local authority, depending on contractual relationships.
Stated by TEC Services Association C.I.C.Redirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
Position
A Fire Call Handling Pathway Decision Support Tool is unlikely to be available until 2024 because development, testing, training and evaluation are required.
Stated by TEC Services Association C.I.C.Unable to actThe respondent said that a constraint prevented them from taking the relevant action.
North London
Concerns raised3
Lack of compulsory telecare regulation and minimum standards
Lack of Telecare Services Association accreditation
Failure to link telecare to smoke alarms or AFSS
This report raised 8 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.2
Action
Engage with reviews of telecare legislation and regulations.
Stated by Barnet Homes LimitedStated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 24 February 2022.
Action
Consider applying for Telecare Services Association accreditation as part of the wider service review.
Stated by Barnet Homes LimitedStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 24 February 2022.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
Position
Matters of Concern 2, 3 and 4 are not issues for the landlord to address.
Stated by Sovereign Network HomesOutside remitThe respondent said that this matter was outside its role or authority.
West Sussex
Concerns raised1
Failure to transfer important and accurate medical information to telecare and emergency services
This report raised 7 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statements
No respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
Inner West London
Concerns raised7
Failure to make linked fire alarms a contractual requirement for telecare clients
Failure to escalate fire-alarm activations to the fire brigade within 30 seconds
Failure to visibly flag unlinked fire alarms in client records
Failure to identify and replace unlinked fire alarms in a timely and auditable manner
Inadequate staff training on standards-compliant fire-alarm response
Failure to train staff to recognise and escalate linked and unlinked fire-alarm sounds
Failure of telecare systems to maintain communication throughout clients' properties
This report raised 6 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statements
No respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
Surrey
Concerns raised6
Failure to require trainee Telecare Operators to obtain approval before closing calls
Failure to persist in offering and persuading service users to accept help after alarm activation
Failure to take further action when follow-up contact after an unanswered alarm call fails
Lack of pro forma questions for assessing needs after alarm activation
Allowing trainee Telecare Operators to take calls without direct supervision
Failure to keep alarm calls open until service users are safely recovered from falls
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statements
No respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
Surrey
Concerns raised1
Failure to thoroughly range-test alarms throughout service-users’ homes
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statements
No respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
Staffordshire South
Concerns raised1
Failure to inform service users about additional alarm facilities
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statements
No respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
North Central & North East Wales
Concerns raised2
Lack of interim protection for Telecare package users pending interlink installation
Lack of standard interlink connection for smoke alarms on the Conwy County Telecare package
This report raised 3 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.3
Action
Establish a six-month full-time Council post to accelerate installation of linked smoke detectors for Telecare clients.
Stated by Conwy County Borough CouncilStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 24 January 2014.
Action
Install linked smoke detectors for Telecare clients identified as lacking them, using the accelerated installation programme.
Stated by Conwy County Borough CouncilStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 24 January 2014.
Action
Review current Council and Fire Service practice for providing linked smoke detectors with Telecare.
Stated by Conwy County Borough CouncilStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 24 January 2014.
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Includes failures of controls specifically dedicated to safe telecare service provision, including operator competence and supervision, approval or authorisation before closing calls, accreditation or recognised quality standards, alarm handling, linked alarm arrangements and related telecare governance controls.
