We believe access to 999 is a basic human right

Our story

TapSOS was founded in 2016 by Becca Hume, Founder and CEO of Inclutech, whose background in inclusive and human-centred design led her to identify a fundamental inequality in how people access emergency help.

A conversation with a Deaf colleague highlighted a critical gap: people who cannot communicate by voice do not have the same access to 999 as those who can.

Becca quickly recognised that communication barriers can affect many people in different ways. Someone may be Deaf or hard of hearing, physically unable to speak, need to remain silent for their safety, find verbal communication difficult because of anxiety, distress, neurodivergence or shutdown, or face a language barrier when English isn't their first language. Whatever the reason, how someone communicates shouldn't prevent them from accessing help when they need it.

That principle became TapSOS: technology designed to remove communication barriers when people need help most.

Since then, Becca has led TapSOS from an initial concept through years of research, co-design, technical development and collaboration with government, emergency services and the UK's critical communications infrastructure.

Today, TapSOS provides an accessible digital route to the UK's Police, Ambulance, Fire & Rescue and Coastguard services, while the technology behind it is increasingly being used by organisations to improve safety, reporting, welfare management and access to support.

The TapSOS app remains free for the public. Users can create a medical profile, share their GPS location and communicate essential information without relying on speech. Through its integration with the UK's 999 infrastructure, emergency call handlers receive structured information to help them understand what is happening and respond appropriately.

Accredited and recognised

TapSOS was the first accredited 999 app providing digital access to all four UK emergency services: Police, Ambulance, Fire & Rescue and Coastguard.

The platform has been through extensive technical, operational and security assurance and is recognised by UK Government and BAPCO, the British Association of Public Safety Communications Officials.

This reflects years of collaboration with emergency services, government and the UK's critical communications infrastructure to ensure TapSOS can operate safely and reliably when it matters most.

Our mission

We believe everyone deserves to feel safe and protected.

Our mission is to remove communication barriers and ensure everyone can access help when they need it, regardless of how they communicate.