Housing Blog - May 2026: Destination Digital - Are You on Board?
Housing’s digital telecare migration is moving forward, but the window for action is narrowing. With the January 2027 deadline approaching, the message for housing providers, Telecare Service Providers, local authorities and factoring organisations is clear: this is not a routine task or technology refresh. It is a service transformation programme that requires planning, cross-sector collaboration, a clear understanding of assets and risks, and a strong focus on resident outcomes. If you need support with migration planning, options appraisal, testing or wider service redesign, now is the time to contact Digital Telecare.
Digitaltelecare@digitaloffice.scot
Housing organisations making the strongest progress are treating migration as a whole-system change rather than a like-for-like equipment swap.
In practice, the organisations moving furthest and fastest are those that:
-Plan early and have an in-depth awareness of assets and infrastructure
-Collaborate across departments
-Engage with suppliers and communication providers
-Maintain a strong focus on resident outcomes (want as well as need)
-Learn from others and onward share their insights
Across Scotland, many organisations are working through a plan-test-learn-adjust cycle with suppliers as digital equipment and housing-specific solutions continue to develop. That iterative approach is normal in housing telecare migration, but it also reinforces the need to start as quickly as possible, share learning and escalate issues or barriers as they arise.
At the Telecare Service Providers meeting on 13 May, we heard that HSCP telecare alarm migration has now reached 96% digital or digitally ready. At a national level, general telecare services in Scotland are on track to meet the January 2027 deadline. Housing migration is not as far in front and how they get there is less straightforward. Many organisations are developing wider housing strategies alongside their telecare migration plans, and grouped housing often includes a more complex mix of communal systems, integrated services and individual dispersed alarms.
From previous Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) statistics, housing-specific links in Scotland are estimated to be in the region of 40,000 to 45,000. Around 75% are thought to relate to individual service users, with the remainder covering communal and integrated links such as lifts, doors, key-safes and fire panels. Based on the same quarterly return, digital progression across grouped housing-related connections was 29.7%, so there is still a considerable way to go.
Based on the same statistical return, digital progression across grouped housing-related connections was 29.7% and although many have reduced housing tenure away from sheltered and have decommissioning plans, those plans need to be put into practice.
Returns for quarter 1 showed analogue-to-digital progression, although not all submissions were consistent and not every ARC provided a return. That means the current picture is still developing and may be understated somewhat.
For this quarter, we have streamlined the ARC request to focus on grouped housing monitoring, whilst still inviting wider data returns from ARCs that monitor other council areas. The intention is to build a stronger national picture of housing progress, further identify decommissioning trends, highlight emerging risks and improve visibility of what still needs to be done.
A request and data template was issued to all Scottish ARCs on 30th April 2026, and we are gathering up returns for onward brief. If you have not yet submitted your statistics for this quarter, please do so and include communal links as well resident flats.
Capturing communal areas and resident flats linked to ARCs will ARC links will supplement the data capture for integrated solutions another range of the complexities of decommissioning.
Call to Action
To help housing partners strengthen planning, reduce risk and maintain service continuity, there are three actions that now need your attention. Designed to encourage engagement for those who have not yet done so and improve the identification of emerging risks or digital delays before time runs out.
Call to Action 1: Submit your quarter 2 housing statistics. If you are an ARC, please respond to the quarter 2 housing statistics request and help maintain an accurate national picture through to year end. If you did not receive the email issued on 30th April 2026, please get in touch. If you did receive it, please make sure communal connections are included alongside flat monitoring links.
Call to Action 2: Contact Digital Telecare if you still have analogue connections and do not yet have a clear migration plan. If you are a Scottish TSP, housing association, factor or any organisation with telecare or supporting equipment linked to an ARC and still operating in analogue mode, please get in touch now. Early engagement can help you understand your digital options, reduce service continuity risks and avoid unnecessary delay.
Call to Action 3: Tell us if you are relying on a holding solution that is likely to continue beyond January 2027. If you are using a holding service or analogue-to-digital translation arrangement beyond January 2027, please let Digital Telecare know. This information is important because it helps us understand the level of reliance on interim arrangements and monitor emerging issues, pressures and risks affecting housing and telecare services.
What do we mean by a holding plan? It is a practical term for arrangements that extend the journey from analogue to digital beyond January 2027 by using an analogue-to-digital translation device or service, or a 2030 infrastructure product provided by some communication providers.
Examples of holding services: Digital Bridge (A2D cloud transitioning solution), ATA (Digital Communicator or Adaptor), Pre-Digital Phone Line (PDPL - 2030 infrastructure offering)
As valid as these options are, often they are interim measures and not the end point of digital transformation. Choosing a holding solution does not extend the life of grouped housing equipment. Warden call systems will still deteriorate mechanically, software issues may arise, and replacement equipment or peripherals increasingly becoming harder to source. Some maintenance contractors whilst decommissioning are holding some hard-to-get parts as newly developed equipment is not always compatible with older analogue systems. As suppliers continue to invest more heavily in digital solutions, support for legacy infrastructure may continue to reduce.
That is why Digital Telecare is seeking a clearer understanding of how many organisations are relying on holding devices or services. Better visibility supports the identification of emerging issues, supplier constraints and diminishing stock. Where organisations are decommissioning older systems, we also encourage the sharing reusable parts via our Teams Channel and perhaps surplus items can be matched with those in need more effectively.
Housing migration has seen a significant shift towards digital dispersed alarms within grouped housing. The reasons are clear: implementation is often quicker, there is a wider choice of digital products, solutions can be tailored more closely to resident need, and they are frequently less intrusive because they require little or no communal infrastructure. Those devices now communicate through integrated SIMs, dual SIMs and, in some cases, ethernet connectivity to help reduce outage and coverage risks.
Many housing providers are also reviewing whether each grouped housing scheme still requires telecare in the same way or with full scheme coverage. This is particularly relevant where services have evolved into retirement or independent living models.
Shared recently by a retirement housing manager was a resident who calls several times a week to say “no morning call today for me as I am just off the night-shift and will be sleeping”.
This highlights why the practice of reviewing resident need or system usage at site level. Easily done by checking on-site and off-site alarm activations and requesting ARC call reports per scheme. Scrutiny of both on-site and off-site activations can give evidence of resident reliance on telecare and support services to create better-informed decisions about future system requirements.
Housing providers are highly effective at delivering safe, accessible and well-managed homes, but the role of telecare within grouped housing has changed. Many schemes now support a broader age range, 55+ is common creating a different profile of resident need, while legacy systems remain in place from past investments. At the same time, funding is sparce, on-site staffing models have changed, and care support within housing is externally sourced or limited unless schemes are specifically designed and funded for sheltered or supported living.
This does not mean housing providers are overlooking residents who still want or need telecare. In many cases, organisations are taking a pragmatic approach by signposting residents towards more targeted, enhanced and appropriately assessed council-led telecare services.
Health and Social Care Partnerships are well placed, with direct links to social work, home care and, in many areas, 24/7 responder services.
These arrangements can be better aligned to residents who need ongoing telecare support and where care can be directly delivered into the home. Highland, Angus have completed dispersed delivery into grouped housing and recently and Edinburgh and Aberdeenshire have started their decommissioning journey.
Another Council who are just a few visits short of fully decommissioning all warden call sites is East Dunbartonshire Council. Their presentation/video and recent case study are linked below for reference.
Link to East Dunbartonshire Case Study
Link to East Dunbartonshire Video
East Dunbartonshire perfectly illustrates how quickly a dispersed solution can be implemented in grouped housing. Many other organisations across Scotland, including Castlehill, Link Group and East Lothian Housing Association have taken time to share learning and help others on moving away from traditional warden call telecare to more bespoke dispersed delivery.
Here to help Scottish housing partners work through a wider housing strategy, service redesign or housing transformation for now until January 2027, Digital Telecare will focus on identifying and supporting those who are still to begin to migrate or have yet to engage with us. If that is you, please get in touch – digitaltelecare@digitaloffice.scot.
