Careline
Careline is a personal emergency or community alarm service for your home, sometimes called a call or pendant alarm.
A speech alarm unit box is installed in your home and connected to a monitoring centre via a phone line.
A pendant is provided that you can wear around your neck or wrist. You may still be able to have an alarm event if you don’t have a phone line.
Who can use the service
Lots of people use a personal emergency alarm, including;
- older people
- people living with disabilities
- people with sensory needs
- people with serious medical conditions
- people who feel under threat
- people at risk from racial or domestic violence.
Lambeth Council no longer offers a personal alarm service unless it is provided to you as part of an assessed need for adult social care. You can find out if you are eligible on care and support for you.
If you are assessed as needing a Careline alarm, we will arrange for our Careline provider to set up your service
Lambeth’s Careline service is delivered by Southwark Council. You can contact them on 0207 525 2999.
What happens in an emergency
Should an emergency arise, you can simply press the button on your pendant or speaker box and our staff will talk to you to arrange assistance. The Careline monitoring centre is open 24 hours a day.
You'll know that by pushing the Careline button, help will be on its way from either:
- your 'key holders'
- an ambulance
- Careline staff
Not eligible for Careline
If you are not eligible for social care and support, you can arrange for your own personal emergency alarm service from the following organisations.
| Provider | Phone number |
|---|---|
| Age UK | 0800 085 8066 |
| Careium | 0345 603 4576 |
| Lifeline Connect 24 | 0800 999 0400 |
| Medequip Connect | 0808 501 5590 |
| Red button (operated by Red Alert ) | 0800 008 6277 |
| Telecare24 | 0800 180 8540 |
This list of providers is not vetted by the council and you will need to undertake your own checks on the quality of the service. The TSA is the industry and advisory body for technology enabled care in the UK. To check which providers are certified with their quality assurance scheme, please visit the TSA website.
Key safes
A key safe is a strong mechanical box that stores a spare key securely inside. The keys will only be accessible when using the correct combination code that will be generated at the time of installation.
You will need to get permission from your landlord to install a key safe and to inform your home insurance providers to ensure you remain covered by the insurance.
Key safes are arranged for people in receipt of Careline and people eligible for care and support. For example, home care services arranged by the council.