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Definitions from

TEC Services Association


The TEC Services Association (TSA) is the industry and advisory body for TEC in the UK. They work and lobby for the increased uptake of digital solutions and TEC into health and social care. Their Special Interest Group SIG011 (Proactive and Preventative Service Delivery) has called for more work on terminology and language - scope out potential for guidance or white paper around what ‘connected care’ is, the range of terms used, how best practice proactive services can be delivered, incorporating examples of adoption across TEC services, healthcare, domiciliary care, care management and housing." We include several of their definitions here.

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Alarm Failure

TSA Commissioner/Buyer Guidance (Nov 2021)

These are the times when a social alarm is unable to connect to an ARC and has to attempt to reconnect, this reconnection can be continuously attempted until the social alarm makes contact

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Alarm Receiving Centre

TSA Commissioner/Buyer Guidance (Nov 2021)

An ARC is predominately a contact centre staffed by individuals trained to handle inbound alerts triggered by a range of devices and peripherals in a vulnerable person's home

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All IP

TSA Commissioner/Buyer Guidance (Nov 2021)

The term given to the programme to migrate communications networks and social alarms from analogue to digital

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Analogue Only Alarms

TSA Commissioner/Buyer Guidance (Nov 2021)

These are social alarms that are capable of only analogue tone based communications with an ARC

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Analogue Terminal Adaptor

TSA Commissioner/Buyer Guidance (Nov 2021)

This is a small connector which allows analogue telecare alarms to be plugged into a digital router. In some cases, the router will have an ATA built in.

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Assistive technology

TSA SIG011

A subset of proactive services including: Equipment - community equipment; wheelchair; hydration solutions; robotic pets; audio books. Devices - medication management; mobile phone; tablet; automated systems; sleep/oxygen management; security solutions. Apps - health; wellbeing; exercise; language therapy.

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Communication Providers

TSA Commissioner/Buyer Guidance (Nov 2021)

These are the organisations that operate on that infrastructure (e.g. BT / Talk Talk / Sky)

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Connected Care

TSA SIG011

Connected care platforms (environmental monitoring; behavioural monitoring; physiological; security) provide analytics (reporting, trend analysis, prediction). A subset of proactive services.

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Datacentre

TSA Commissioner/Buyer Guidance (Nov 2021)

Term given to a secure remote location that hosts equipment and services designed to provide a solution

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Device Management Platform

TSA Commissioner/Buyer Guidance (Nov 2021)

The web site or portal where the status / configuration / location of social alarms and peripherals is shown

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Digital shift

TSA Commissioner/Buyer Guidance (Nov 2021)

One of the terms given to the transformation of the telephone network from analogue to digital

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Dispersed alarms

TSA Commissioner/Buyer Guidance (Nov 2021)

Social Alarms that are installed in individual's homes

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Enterprise

TSA Commissioner/Buyer Guidance (Nov 2021)

Term used to describe a deployment of a service where most equipment to run the service is located within the Commissioners' or Service Providers' own buildings.

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Formal/informal networks

TSA SIG011

A subset of proactive services including: Health - GP, District Nurse, Reablement Teams, Hospital A & E, Community Hospital, Rehab Wards, Virtual Wards, CCG Commissioners, 999 and 111 Social Care - Commissioners, Trusted Advisors/Assessors, Occupational Therapists, Domiciliary Care, Care Managers, Home Care Services Other - Family/Friends/NOK, Emergency Services, Charities, Religious Groups, Voluntary Sector, Housing Providers, Response Services, ARCs, Wellbeing Calls

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Grouped scheme alarm

TSA Commissioner/Buyer Guidance (Nov 2021)

Social Alarms installed in individual homes within a grouped living property

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Hosted

TSA Commissioner/Buyer Guidance (Nov 2021)

The term used to describe a deployment of a service where all of the infrastructure required to operate the service (e.g. network, wiring, database, servers, telephony integration, security etc) is located in a secure datacentre

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Hybrid

TSA Commissioner/Buyer Guidance (Nov 2021)

This term refers to the devices that are capable of communicating in both analogue tones and digital. These devices are intended to smooth the transition of analogue to digital by allowing organisations to remote transfer outfield devices from analogue to digital

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Integrated Service Digital Network

TSA Commissioner/Buyer Guidance (Nov 2021)

This is the term given to a group of analogue telephone lines, primarily used by an ARC, to receive analogue alarm calls from social alarms - this analogue lines will ultimately be replaced by SIP trunks

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Integration

TSA Commissioner/Buyer Guidance (Nov 2021)

The term for how platforms and systems can operate as a seamless process for a user

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Interoperability

TSA Commissioner/Buyer Guidance (Nov 2021)

The term for the way that devices, platforms and systems from different suppliers are able to communicate consistently with one another

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Network Operators

TSA Commissioner/Buyer Guidance (Nov 2021)

These are the organisations that own the communications infrastructure (e.g. Openreach / Virgin)

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Proactive services

TSA SIG011

A subset of Technology Enabled Care comprising proactive services and technology solutions aimed at supporting older and vulnerable people to stay well in their own homes for longer. Subdivided into assistive technology,connected care and formal/informal networks.

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Procurement Frameworks

TSA Commissioner/Buyer Guidance (Nov 2021)

These are the methods that commissioners/buyers can take advantage of to reduce the administrative burden of a TEC procurement

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Public Switched Telephone Network

TSA Commissioner/Buyer Guidance (Nov 2021)

Public Switched Telephone Network - this term is used to either describe the entire analogue telephony network in the UK or a specific analogue telephone line connected to a property.

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Red Amber Green

TSA Commissioner/Buyer Guidance (Nov 2021)

The abbreviation for Red/Amber/Green which indicates a separation of subjects into different priority or focus groups

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SIG01

TSA Commissioner/Buyer Guidance (Nov 2021)

This is the abbreviation for Special Interest Group 1 which is a group of stakeholders within the industry supporting the strategic transition of TEC from analogue to digital

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Social Alarm

TSA Commissioner/Buyer Guidance (Nov 2021)

(a) This is the term given to devices that are installed in individual homes or grouped dwellings that enable individuals to call for help in urgent situations. Social Alarms must meet industry specifications approved by British Standards. (b) The description given to an alarm unit which communicates in analogue and/or digital social alarm protocols

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Technology Enabled Care

TSA Commissioner/Buyer Guidance (Nov 2021)

Term given to a group of care technologies such as Telecare, Telehealth, Telemedicine

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Telecare

TSA SIG011

Reactive emergency services built on monitoring sensors in the homes of older and vulnerable people

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Telehealth

TSA SIG011

The use of sensors and equipment to monitor and report on the health of people in their own homes

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Telephone Exchanges

TSA Commissioner/Buyer Guidance (Nov 2021)

Buildings owned by Communications Network Providers to connect local properties to the UK telephone network

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Tones

TSA Commissioner/Buyer Guidance (Nov 2021)

Audible sounds that enable an analogue social alarm to communicate a message to an Alarm Receiving Centre so that the Operator knows where the alarm is located and what the cause of the alarm is.

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