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Mears telecare and telehealth monitoring service has received full accreditation from the Telecare Services Association (TSA), the national standards body for technology-enabled care and support services.Mears 24/7, specialist contact centre for the housing and care sector, started delivering telecare monitoring services last year. For most service users, telecare means simply having an alarm, which they can wear around their neck, linked to a 24-hour service centre. But it can include a wide variety of monitors, sensors and alarms – movement sensors, flood sensors, heat sensors, door entry systems, as well as smoke and CO2 detectors. Increasingly, services include regular calls – daily or weekly, say – to check that everything is ok or reminders to take medication.Telecare is allowing people to live on their own for an extended period of time, without requiring round-the-clock care or hospitalisation.The rigorous TSA accreditation process took three months, assessing all operating processes, protocols and responses, including service user satisfaction. TSA developed the code of practice to ensure quality standards for service delivery and, critically, to assist commissioners in identifying quality providers. The code has been written to respond to the challenges of an evolving health and social care system, and in support of several national frameworks.Service Providers of Telecare and Telehealth services are inspected annually to ensure continued compliance with the robust requirements of the Code of Practice and its challenging Key Performance Indicators. This ensures that consumers of TSA accredited Telecare and Telehealth Services receive the best service available.Alyson Scurfield, Chief Executive at TSA, said: “We're delighted that Mears Group have gained accreditation to the TSA Integrated Code of Practice. It shows a real commitment to their service users and it is a quality stamp to show that they are offering the highest level of service possible.”Martin Byrne, Director at Mears 24/7, said: “We’ve gained accreditation in little over a year, which shows not just our hard work but also our belief and determination that telecare can play a huge part in keeping people in their own homes for longer. It delivers improved outcomes for service users as well as real cost savings for local authorities.”