The BBC tells people about United Response's telesupport work

The BBC 1 Breakfast News and the radio programme You and Yours talked about our telesupport work.

Telesupport is when people can use a telephone and video system to access support.

This is helping people live more independently as well as creating opportunities for new friendships.

You can read the news story on the BBC website. Click here to go to the story on the BBC website.

The Radio 4 programme, You and Yours also talked about it. You can listen to it again on the BBC website.

Click here to go to the BBC website page and select You and Yours (at the bottom of the page)

Sharon Carden and Emma Muryani both use telesupport. Sharon, who has learning disabilities, lives independently in her own home.

She needs support from United Response to do her shopping and other activities.

Sharon said: "Telesupport is brilliant. It's really helped me with my shopping. My support worker used to come over to help me put my list together, but now I do it myself. I go into the kitchen to see what I need and then tell them on the telesupport."

Sharon also uses telesupport to keep in touch with Emma. Emma and Sharon are great friends.

Sharon said: "I like calling Emma on the telesupport phone. It's better than calling her on a normal phone. I can see her face and so we can have a good giggle together.

We talk about the things we have done and arrange when to meet up. It helps me stay in touch with the people I used to live with, before I moved into my own place. I find it easy to keep in touch now we've all got telesupport."

Telesupport is a 24-hour form of support people can access from their own homes.

The telephone has a touch screen so people can see and speak to a support worker or friend over a phone, when they want.

United Response has worked with a company called Aupix. Aupix have made some phones so they are easy to use by people with learning disabilities or mental health needs.

United Response is using these phones in West Sussex.

We know that telesupport can also help people who can not see very well or who find speaking difficult.

It can also help people with some mental health problems.

We do not think that telesupport should replace face to face support.

We do think it is good for lots of things. We think it can help people to be more private and in control.

Many people we support would like to use telesupport to keep in touch with each other and to support each other.

This will help people to be more independent.

People also want families to access telesupport. This would be good for families who live far away from each other.

United Response is looking for money to offer more people telesupport.