London Borough of Sutton - Case Study 

Traditionally, Sutton relied on reactive telecare systems that used basic alarms, such as pull cords and buttons, to alert caregivers in emergencies. While useful, these systems were limited in their ability to provide a holistic view of an individual's daily wellbeing.

For instance, an alarm would only trigger if someone actively used it, which often left room for concerns such as falls or deteriorating health to go unnoticed.

The borough needed to find a solution that supported independent living while also offering data-driven actionable insights to help detect early signs of health issues. This was especially important as the community sought to implement more proactive health and social care solutions across the health, social care, and housing sectors.

Additionally, Sutton wanted a solution that could ease the workload of professional carers while giving families and unpaid carers greater peace of mind. A technology that could engage both carers and families, while promoting and increasing independence for the most vulnerable populations across the community.

In response to these challenges, the London Borough of Sutton partnered with Access Technology Enabled Care (TEC) and Medequip to implement the Access TEC Home Hub.

Here through our Access TEC ecosystem, we offered Sutton a state-of-the-art platform designed to enhance care delivery through a mix of technology and data analytics. The system includes:

• Activities of Daily Living (ADL) sensors: These sensors monitor a person’s daily routine and detect changes in behavior, such as increased bathroom visits or inactivity, which could signal health concerns.
• App for family and care circle engagement: The family members and the wider care circle of an individual can access real-time updates through an app. This provides positive reassurance when everything is normal and sends alerts when there are changes, before something more critical takes place, allowing for timely interventions.
• Integrated response system: When changes in behavior are detected, the system prompts welfare checks and escalation as needed. For example, Medequip’s 45-minute TEC Responder Service or the NHS 2-hour Urgent Community Response can be triggered.

One of the most notable aspects of Sutton’s care model is the creation of a community-based shop. This shop, co-branded with London Borough of Sutton, Sutton Housing Partnership and Medequip Connect, offers training and learning opportunities for both professionals and residents. 

This, in turn, has enabled the digital switchover from traditional analogue to digital telecare services to be smoother and serve as a central hub for the community to understand and adapt to the new technology, avoiding digital literacy challenges and resistance to change.

Since investing in Access Technology Enabled Care, Sutton has experienced multiple benefits that have positively impacted the wider community and care circles with a range of different stakeholders all working collaboratively to deliver better care outcomes.

1. Proactive Care and Independence

Thanks to the ADL sensors and the Access Assure Home Hub, residents in Sutton are no longer dependent on outdated “button and box” alarm systems. Instead, they can live more independently, with the technology quietly monitoring their wellbeing in the background.

For instance, an increase in bathroom visits can trigger a notification that may lead to a health check, preventing issues from escalating unnoticed as well as preventing unnecessary hospital admissions. This type of proactive care has empowered residents to live with greater freedom and dignity.

How we’ve improved the lives of unpaid carers:

"Many years ago, I was a carer for my mum. This technology would have given me such peace of mind…Perhaps my sleeping habits would have been a lot different, knowing that my mum was safe. My brother’s health declined because he became a carer for my mum. This would have made the world of difference. This system is worth its weight in gold.”

2. Support for Families and Carers

The introduction of the Access Assure app has given families peace of mind by providing them with real-time insights into their loved one’s wellbeing. Whether they live close by or far away, families can stay connected, feel reassured, and be alerted when something goes wrong, shifting the focus from routine, intrusive checks to more meaningful, strength-based conversations.

3. Community Training and Engagement

The borough’s decision to open a community shop has been pivotal in ensuring the success  and the roll-out of their new technology enabled care.

Here the shop offers a space where both professionals and residents can learn about our technology, receive training, and discover how it can help them or their loved ones.

By involving the community in the process, Sutton has made the transition to a technology enabled care model smoother and more widely accepted.

How we’ve improved the lives of residents:

“Now it’s everything. It can monitor everything so that if there’s falls, they can be monitored. If there’s people who are not eating properly. If there’s people who fall in the bathroom. It’s just a totally different world to pullcords. Lots of people used to tie-up their pullcords so they would end up on the floor for quite some time whereas this new system doesn’t allow for that.”

4. Financial Impact

Another key outcome that Sutton has experienced since implementing our technology in August 2023 is the significant cost savings for the borough.

One of the biggest savings includes a social care saving of over £241,000 by being able to deliver the right-sized reablement care packages across the community since digitally transforming their care services.

Additionally, through using stronger co-production approaches, by investing in our Access TEC their supplier-agnostic protocols have enabled the reuse of smoke detectors generating housing savings of £42,000.

Another key financial saving includes over £148,000 savings in healthcare costs, thanks to implementing our TEC across the community to enable 400 ambulance callouts to already be avoided.

Sutton’s approach to co-production

“It’s really making the residents feel part of the process. I think that’s really important so they’re more accepting then”.

5. Improved Professional Satisfaction

The introduction of Access TEC has also had a positive impact on professional carers. By automating routine checks and providing real-time data insights, the technology has freed up time for carers to focus on more meaningful, person-centered care.

One care professional noted:

"Our caseloads are big, and while this is the job we signed up for, we want to get it right. For me, this technology has allowed me to spend more time helping residents in meaningful ways. It’s a new way of working, and it’s made my job more satisfying."

6. Data-Driven Care

The Access TEC platform’s out-of-the-box dashboard and family app have also enabled Sutton to use data in more impactful ways. The secure, permissioned web and mobile app allows carers and family members to access actionable data insights that help them make informed care decisions. This has transformed Sutton’s use of data in everyday care management, resulting in better outcomes for everyone involved.

“I have more time to spend on things that I really want to do which is help the residents. Our caseloads are big. This is the job we signed up to, but nevertheless, we want to get it right all rounds. For me, what I’ve gotten out of it, is learning a new way forward, a new way of working. It’s an opportunity for the Independent Living Officers specifically, to have their workload reduced massively."

We have thoroughly enjoyed being an integral part of the London Borough of Sutton’s digital transformation journey. Through our collaboration, we have seen firsthand how investing in our Access Technology Enabled Care helps evolve and transform care delivery models for the better to deliver more outcomes-focused care that matters to the individual.

By shifting from traditional reactive care models to proactive ones, we have worked in partnership to improve the quality of life for all residents across Sutton making it easier to manage rising demands, limited budgets, and the aging population,

The investment in our Access TEC ecosystem, especially through the Sutton shop, has allowed us to help Sutton increase their community engagement and demonstrate to the wider care circle—families, professionals, and volunteers alike—how technology-enabled care (TEC) is revolutionising support services for the better.

Here the community shop has been a crucial hub, offering training, learning, and demonstrations that make the adoption of TEC easier and more seamless for everyone involved. From family members gaining peace of mind with real-time alerts to professional carers experiencing less strain in their day-to-day workload, the benefits of Access TEC are already being felt across the borough.

Together, we’ve showcased that this technology not only serves the present but is also a future-proof solution, preparing Sutton for the growing care demands of an aging population.

We are proud to continue leading the way alongside Sutton, demonstrating the life-changing potential of TEC, and look forward to continuing supporting the community in the future.

If you want to learn more about how Access TEC can help transform care deliveries in your community, get in touch with us today.

Our team is ready to help you take the next step in providing high-quality, innovative proactive care solutions for your residents across the whole community.