Lifeline is a personal alarm system that provides a link between you and our Alarm Receiving Centre, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Lifeline button is worn either around the neck or on the wrist and is designed to prevent accidental activation so can be worn all the time, including in bed. The Lifeline pendants are also waterproof and work up to 300 metres away from the unit so you can wear them in the bath and out in the garden.

Modern Lifeline equipment does not require a landline. Instead, the base unit has dual SIMs and uses mobile phone technology to make emergency calls. This means the base unit can be installed in a room of your choice.

If you had an accident in your home, would you be able to get to your phone? If yes, would the people you are ringing be home? Having a Lifeline installed means you can call our operators at the touch of a button and get the appropriate help at any time of the day or night.

One press of the button connects you to our Alarm Receiving Centre. Our friendly operators are always there to talk to you, using the powerful microphone and speaker in the base unit, reassuring you and getting you help should you need it. They’ll know who you are, any health conditions you have and who to contact, even if you can’t talk.

It is for people of any age who may need help urgently in their home, for any reason.  This includes those who have short or long-term health conditions and people at risk of harassment or domestic abuse. Lifeline services are offered to people who live in Crawley and Mid Sussex, including Burgess Hill, Crawley Down, Copthorne, East Grinstead, Haywards Heath and Turners Hill.  

We’ll create a personal package to meet your needs, to help you live your life independently and safely. It doesn’t matter if you’re a tenant or own your own home – you can rent the Lifeline and telecare equipment for as long as you need them.

Installation is free, and a member of our team will visit you at home set up your equipment and show you how it works. As part of the installation process, the signal strength will be checked in your home to make sure the Lifeline base unit is well positioned.

The weekly charge for a Lifeline is £5.03 (plus VAT if applicable) per week. If you are registered disabled or are chronically sick you may be able to claim VAT exemption on your Lifeline service.

The weekly rental charge for a Lifeline includes an annual service visit, maintenance of the equipment and the services of our Alarm Receiving Centre and Lifeline team. There is no fixed term contract.

Choose the option that suits you. You can pay by monthly Direct Debit, by debit or credit card (online or over the phone), or pay cash at the Town Hall. We can also send your bill to someone else if we have their permission.

Visit our Pay online webpage for online payments.

When you have a Lifeline you will need to provide a way your home can be accessed in an emergency. You can nominate key holders, have a key safe or both.

Your key holders can be family, friends or neighbours who are happy to respond to your calls. If you don’t have any local contacts, a key safe is a good alternative to enable access to your home in an emergency. We can offer a key safe as part of our Lifeline Plus offer.

In addition to the Lifeline pendant we offer a range of telecare products that work in addition to a Lifeline unit. These are designed to help vulnerable customers continue to live independently with a range of sensors and detectors available. Find out more on our Additional Lifeline equipment webpage.

With our Lifeline form, you can:

• request more information about Lifeline
• apply for, or cancel, Lifeline
• tell us about a change of circumstance

If you are interested in having a Lifeline package we’ll visit you in your home to show you how it works. There’s no obligation, you can just let us know if you’d like to go ahead. Installation is free and there is no fixed term to the contract.

If you no longer need the Lifeline unit or telecare equipment you can bring all the equipment to the Town Hall where you will get a receipt for it. You will need to return all Lifeline equipment in order for us to close down your account. If you are unsure about what equipment needs to be returned, please email lifeline@crawley.gov.uk.

If you are unable to bring the equipment back to us, we may be able to collect it for a charge. Once we have received the equipment any charges for it will stop.

You can contact Lifeline by calling us on telephone 01293 438468 or email lifeline@crawley.gov.uk.