Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership Awarded Bronze Digital Telecare Implementation Award
We are delighted to confirm that Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership has been awarded the Bronze Digital Telecare Implementation Award in recognition of the progress they have made on their analogue to digital telecare transition project.
To achieve Bronze status through Route 2, a Telecare Service Provider must have successfully deployed digital-ready alarm devices to at least 50% of all dispersed and group alarm users. This is the first major milestone in the transition to digital telecare and sets the foundations upon which the rest of the digital telecare transition will rest.
The Telecare Service in Aberdeenshire is operated by the Aberdeenshire Health and Social Partnership (HSCP) and based at the Joint Equipment Centre in Inverurie. There are approximately 2600 people in the Aberdeenshire area who benefit from having a community alarm system in their home.
In view of the continuing work by Openreach and other network providers in transferring the public telephone service to a digital telephone network, Aberdeenshire HSCP began preparing and planning the route to ensuring telecare services provided by them was compatible with the new digital telephone network. Since 2022, Aberdeenshire have been installing digital ready community alarm units for new telecare clients and have also undertaken a programme of work to replace existing analogue alarms with new digital ready units. At present, 59% of all the telecare clients in Aberdeenshire have a digital community alarm installed and the work will continue until every alarm installed in Aberdeenshire is digital.
This work has been challenging at times, particularly in view of the issues associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent global supply chain issues around electronic equipment, leading to a shortage of available digital alarms. The team has worked incredibly hard to overcome these problems as well as becoming familiar with new technologies associated with the digital alarms.
Andy Priest, Manager of the Joint Equipment Service for Aberdeenshire HSCP, said: “It is a great achievement by the telecare team in Aberdeenshire to have reached this milestone and we’re delighted to receive the Bronze Implementation Award from the Digital Office for Scottish Local Government.
Our goal is to continue with our alarm replacement programme at pace to ensure all our community alarm clients benefit from having a digital alarm well ahead of the January 2027 completion date for the switch to a digital telephone network.”
Achieving this Award is a significant milestone for Aberdeenshire HSCP. Now that the digital ready alarm devices have been deployed to at least 50% of all dispersed and group alarm users, they can move towards the first phase of testing with alarms and peripherals.
We extend our wholehearted congratulations to Aberdeenshire HSCP and look forward to continuing to work with them as they aim to achieve the next Implementation Award, Silver.
