Taking Care Personal Alarm Review 2026

Taking Care at a Glance

If you have been looking into personal alarms for an elderly parent or relative, chances are you have already come across Taking Care. They have been providing monitored alarm services in the UK for over thirty years, and their name crops up on practically every comparison site and NHS guidance page you will find.

But is the brand's reputation still deserved in 2026? We ordered the service, set it up in a real home, and tested it over four weeks — pressing the button at different times of day, trialling the GPS pendant outdoors, and speaking with the response centre operators ourselves. This review covers everything we found.

Plans and Pricing

Taking Care keeps things refreshingly simple. There are essentially two core plans, plus a premium bundle that combines them both. There are no hidden fees, no setup charges (if you self-install), and no long-term contracts. You pay monthly and can cancel at any time with 30 days' notice.

Installation costs

Self-installation is completely free and, in our experience, genuinely straightforward. The base unit plugs into a mains socket and connects via your phone line or a built-in SIM card (newer models). The pendant comes charged and ready to pair. We had the Home Plan up and running in under ten minutes.

If your parent would prefer a helping hand, Taking Care offers a professional installation service for £99. An engineer will visit, set up the equipment, test it, and walk your parent through how everything works. For someone who is not confident with technology, this can be money well spent for the reassurance it provides.

VAT relief

If the alarm user has a long-term illness or disability, they may be eligible for VAT relief, which brings the cost down further. Taking Care makes this easy to claim — you simply tick a box on the order form. This is not unique to Taking Care (it applies to most personal alarm providers), but it is worth knowing about.

Overall, the pricing sits in the middle of the market. You can find cheaper options (Telecare24 starts from around £12.99 per month), but few match Taking Care's combination of brand trust, NHS recommendation, and responsive UK monitoring centre.

The Pendant — What It's Like to Use

A personal alarm is only useful if the person wearing it is happy to keep it on. We paid close attention to the day-to-day experience of wearing both the Home Plan pendant and the GPS pendant, because comfort and ease of use are genuinely make-or-break for this kind of product.

Home Plan pendant

The standard Home Plan pendant is small, lightweight, and discreet. It is designed to be worn around the neck on a cord or on the wrist with a strap — both are included in the box. The button is large enough to find and press easily, even for someone with arthritis or limited dexterity. During our testing, the person wearing it barely noticed it was there after the first day.

The pendant is fully waterproof, which is important because the bathroom is where most falls happen. Your parent can wear it in the shower or bath without any worry. The battery lasts for years (it is not rechargeable — Taking Care replaces the pendant when the battery runs low), so there is nothing to remember or maintain.

Range from the base unit is approximately 100 metres in open conditions. In a typical UK home, that comfortably covers every room and the garden. We tested it at the far end of a three-bedroom semi and it connected without issue.

GPS pendant

The GPS pendant is noticeably larger than the standard one, though still quite wearable. It needs to be bigger because it contains a GPS chip, a mobile SIM, a speaker, a microphone, and a rechargeable battery. Think of it as a tiny mobile phone you wear around your neck.

The key advantage is that it works anywhere — not just in the home. If your parent goes for a walk, visits the shops, or potters in the allotment, they are still protected. When the button is pressed (or a fall is detected automatically), the pendant connects directly to the response centre over the mobile network. The operators can see the wearer's GPS location, which is enormously reassuring for families.

The trade-off is battery life. The GPS pendant needs charging every two to three days, depending on usage. It charges via a simple magnetic cradle, so it is not fiddly, but it does require your parent to remember to charge it regularly — or for you to build it into a routine. In our four-week test, we found that placing the charger on the bedside table (so the pendant gets charged overnight) worked well.

Both pendants are waterproof, which we consider essential. The button design on each is intuitive: a single, slightly raised button in the centre that requires a deliberate press. It is unlikely to be triggered accidentally, but easy enough to press in a genuine emergency.

The Response Centre

The real value of a monitored alarm like Taking Care is not the pendant itself — it is the people on the other end. Taking Care operates a 24/7, UK-based monitoring and response centre, staffed by trained operators who are available every hour of every day, including bank holidays and Christmas.

When we tested the alarm, the average response time was under 60 seconds. In most of our test calls, the operator answered within 20 to 30 seconds. That is fast, and it is consistent with what Taking Care advertises. The operators were calm, professional, and reassuring — exactly the tone you would want if an elderly parent was frightened or in pain after a fall.

What happens when you press the button

The process is simple, but it is worth understanding step by step so you can explain it to your parent and give them confidence in the system.

1. You press the pendant button. With the Home Plan, the base unit activates and opens a two-way voice connection. With the GPS pendant, the speaker and microphone in the pendant itself activate — no base unit needed.
2. The response centre answers. A trained operator will greet you by name (they have your details on file) and ask what has happened. If you cannot speak, they will still take action.
3. The operator assesses the situation. They will talk to you calmly and work out what help you need. They hold your medical information, medication details, and any notes your family has provided.
4. Your nominated contacts are called. If appropriate, the operator will telephone your family members, neighbours, or key holders in the order you have specified.
5. Emergency services are called if needed. If the situation is urgent — a suspected stroke, chest pain, a serious fall — the operator will call 999 immediately and stay on the line with you until help arrives.

One thing we particularly appreciated is that Taking Care holds a detailed profile for each user. When you set up the service, you provide information about medical conditions, medications, GP details, and the names and numbers of family or friends who should be contacted. This means the operator can pass critical information to paramedics, potentially saving precious time in an emergency.

If the alarm is triggered accidentally (which does happen, especially in the early days), the operator will simply check you are all right and close the call. There is no charge for false alarms, and the operators are completely understanding about it. During our testing, we deliberately triggered a couple of “accidental” calls and the operators handled them with good humour.

Pros and Cons

After four weeks of hands-on testing, here is our honest assessment of what Taking Care does well and where it falls short.

To put the cons in context: the price difference between Taking Care and budget providers is only a few pounds per month, and you are paying for a well-established response centre, NHS endorsement, and a brand with a thirty-year track record. For most families, that peace of mind is well worth the small premium.

The GPS pendant charging requirement is the most common complaint we see in user reviews, and it is a fair one. If your parent is forgetful, you may need to help them establish a charging routine. That said, the two-to-three-day battery life is fairly typical for GPS personal alarms — it is not a weakness specific to Taking Care.

Who Should Buy Taking Care?

Personal alarms are not one-size-fits-all. The right plan depends on your parent's lifestyle, health, and how they feel about wearing a pendant. Here is our guidance for the most common situations.

If you are unsure which plan to choose, Taking Care's customer service team are genuinely helpful. You can call them to discuss your parent's situation, and because there is no contract, you can always switch plans later if your needs change.

Our Verdict — 4.5/5

Alternatives to Consider

Taking Care is our top recommendation for most families, but it is not the only good option. Here are three alternatives worth considering if Taking Care does not quite fit your needs or budget.

For a full comparison of all the leading providers, see our guide to the best personal alarms in the UK for 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions