Historic to Modern, Challenges and Scotlands Experiences
Telecare in grouped housing, needs to be migrated to digital to meet the switch-over deadline of January 2027, how are you managing this change?
Let’s first discuss the legacy kit that is used across Scotland and uncover how housing partners are migrating away from analogue to digital. When it comes to digitally upgrading and managing telecare for housing providers, there are a multitude of approaches - no single solution fits all and management process vary.
Historically, warden call systems provided a blanket level of support to all flats and communal areas whether needed or not. Generally installed during the construction phase and layered over in-wall electrical cabling, some could be as old as 30 years and not easy to replace with more modern CAT5 cabling without major disruption.
Systems, in the most part have additional equipment integrated such as lifts, fire detection, key cabinets and door entry to name a few. To enable alarms/alerts from residents and integrated equipment to be handled both on-site if staffed, and off-site to the Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) monitoring, a PSTN line (plain old telephone line) is installed next to (within 1 meter) the warden call system motherboard. The warden call motherboard/equipment is normally in an office or a cupboard within the scheme. Switched to off-site mode, the system sends all alerts, including the integrated equipment to an ARC for call handling.
Grouped housing is normally segmented into tenure types:
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Care Home
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Care at Home
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Very Sheltered (VS)
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Sheltered (S)
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Retirement
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Independent Living
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Amenity, and so on
Staffing across tenures can vary widely, care home, housing with care and to some extent very sheltered can be staffed 24/7, however, reduction in staff hours and peripatetic staffing models are now popular. Normally ARC off-site monitoring isn’t provided to 24/7 supported sites unless required for business continuity reasons, only in cases where legacy equipment is warden call, not nurse call solutions.
Sheltered housing may offer full daytime, partial or occasional cover, with some offering peripatetic or extended hours. On a sliding scale, retirement or independent living often provides little or no cover and amenity then general needs will involve minimum if any staffing.
I mention all of this, as historically telecare or integrated equipment installed historically may still be in still in place creating an expectation for those residents who now live there.
Many providers through strategic assessment of housing and support needs have remodelled their housing offering but perhaps not the legacy equipment installed at each location. Although safeguarding is a significant factor in grouped living arrangements, choice is also a core component and with modern digital technologies, rather than warden call blanket coverage, tailored support can be provided on a resident-by-resident basis.
Funding is sporadic in how and where it is applied across Scotland and typically dedicated to the provision of resources and telecare. These days health and social care support plans drive the equipment and care provision on an individual assessment basis. Again, resident service charges will have many variations, some levy charges for telecare or technology support, but some don’t.
If you are a housing provider or Council with housing stock, and you aren't already engaged with us, register for access to our Digital Telecare Playbook and download our Housing Resource Pack.
It’s important to note the language I use here—words like “generally”, “sometimes” and “usually” which are scattered through this piece. Funding formulas and operational models vary with each provider using a customised approach based on individual needs, strategies and practices.
Best to start your journey with an asset register of what and where you have telecare along with how and who it is connected to, an easy-to-use template is contained in our pack. You will also find how to register with us, link to our resource library; Playbook and be part of our regular meetings with peers and suppliers.
In my next post, I’ll delve deeper into different decisions and approaches to digital transitioning. From decommissioning to dispersed, like for like to new enhanced digital solutions. Some are yet to review strategic plans or financial resources and have instead chosen to extend analogue use until 2030 via copper products like BT’s Pre-Digital Phone Line. Not suitable for all, these products can help maximize asset investment but come at an additional cost.
BT’s advice remains the same, change to digital before Jan 2027.
For further information or support to access the Digital Telecare Playbook, please contact us at digitaltelecare@digitaloffice.scot
