Alertacall - Moving on from hard-wired alarm and warden call systems

It is therefore feasible for a housing provider to replace its hard-wired alarm and warden call system with a high quality door entry system and a system like Housing Proactive and recover the cost of that work as a service charge through Housing Benefit. Even if that wasn’t so for any reason, the financial case for decommissioning the hard-wired alarm and warden call system would still in most cases be compelling. Although savings from removing hard-wired alarms and warden call systems vary depending on the exact nature of the system being removed, by doing so there can be significant savings on the replacement, monitoring and maintenance costs of such equipment, which for a medium sized housing provider saves many hundreds of thousands of pounds over a 5 year period. With many hard-wired alarm and warden call systems at the end of their useful life and/or requiring replacement because of the planned digital telephony switchover, it is now a good time for housing providers to evaluate whether replacing them really makes any sense, both in terms of functionality, outcomes and financially when other alternative approaches exist. Benefits of removing hard-wiredalarmand warden call systems Housing provider benefits • Reduces capital expenditure, servicing and maintenance costs • Improves and reduces the cost of contact with residents • Makes properties more attractive and less institutional • Empowers residents by giving them more control and choice • Better detects the changing needs and requirements of residents • Improves safety planning with occupancy tracking • Focuses staff time more effectively with better data • Better management reporting across whole service • Deploy a service that can work in all properties including general needs Resident benefits • Removal of unsightly equipment • More updates and improved communication from their housing provider • Easier to report and be updated on repairs • Daily contact reduces risk of social isolation • Lower service charges and weekly costs • Access to alarm style services for those who want them Moving on from hard-wired alarm and warden call systems 12 www.alertacall.com