Community alarm services: The Carlisle experience Putting the quality back into quality assurance Available to Purchase

Carlisle Housing Association Ltd (CHA), created in December 2002 as a consequence of the transfer of Carlisle City Council's housing stock (7,200 properties), is located some 12 miles from the Scottish border in North Cumbria, in an area with a local population of more than 100,000 people. CHA is a subsidiary of the Riverside Group. CHA aims to deliver a sustainable community alarm service that aids the independent living options for its customers, with a focus on health and social care provision in the area.The purpose of this article is to set out the evolutionary process undertaken to develop the CHA community alarm service, rather than to explain the operational aspects of assistive technology. It aims to identify the co‐ordinated, person‐centred approach we have developed to assist vulnerable individuals to embark on a journey that fulfils their aspirations to remain as safe and independent as possible in a familiar environment.