NEWS

A national campaign has been launched by Digital Telecare for Scottish Local Government to raise awareness of the transition from analogue to digital telecare.

Launching on Wednesday 10 February, the campaign aims to raise awareness of:

• The transition to digital telecare and the benefits, opportunities and risks it poses;
• The urgency and accelerated timescales of the transition to digital telecare;
• How the transition to digital telecare will affect each telecare service providers, telecare service users and other key stakeholder groups;
• The role of Digital Telecare for Scottish Local Government and the support available;
• Relevant activity from key stakeholders surrounding the transition. 

The campaign comes shortly after a national briefing document was published as part of Digital Telecare’s continual support and partnership with telecare service providers across Scotland to develop a ‘Once for Scotland’ solution during this transition.

With only four years until the existing analogue telephone network services being completely switched off as the UK’s telecommunications infrastructure is upgraded solely to digital connectivity,  telecommunications providers are already replacing analogue phone lines with digital equivalents. This means that as early as 2023, it will no longer be possible for citizens to purchase an analogue phone service from telecommunication's providers and by 2025, they will have fully migrated to a digital equivalent for all users. The new digital telephony network will not support analogue equipment safely and securely. This means that if an existing telecare alarm is connected to a digital line it may not work reliably, or may not work at all, and emergency calls may be delayed, or fail to connect.

It is common knowledge that the switchover will have an impact on users’ living in their own homes, with dispersed telecare technologies, generally supported by the area’s health and social care partnership. It is also known that the switchover will have an impact on users’ living in a grouped housing setting, supported by registered social landlords and private landlords across the country. Digital Telecare for Scottish Local Government will include these organisations within the scope of the ongoing and collaborative work in the realm of digital telecare.

This new campaign will help get vital messages out there and point stakeholders in the direction of resources that will ensure that no user is left behind and that the ‘Once for Scotland’ approach is genuinely inclusive.

For more information on the transition to digital telecare, telecare service providers across Scotland can register for the Digital Telecare Playbook.