Meeting the Challenges

Supporting People
Social care has been transformed by the demands imposed by supporting people legislation. The care services available to the elderly and vulnerable people must be adaptable and meet the needs of the individual. This has led to an increase in the use of dispersed alarms and the birth of the telephone warden call system or PBX.

Intermediate Care
Pressures on Primary Care Trusts to meet the ever increasing demands for hospital beds have led to a range of intermediate care initiatives; aimed at minimising the time people spend in hospital. These initiatives have prompted the development of a range of products that enable people to be cared for at home and the term "Telecare" has been coined.

Best Value
Through Best Value legislation, landlords have been tasked with ensuring that the services they provide to tenants are delivered through the most cost-effective route. Nowhere is this pressure felt more than in the purchase of warden call systems and the provision of maintenance contracts to ensure that these systems remain in working order.

Disability Discrimination Act
This legislation was brought in to prevent discrimination on the grounds of physical or mental disability, which in turn has led to the development of a host of products and services tailored to meet the needs of disabled people. These range from a fully automated motorised door for a wheelchair user to a simple flashing beacon for people with impaired hearing.