In Scotland, around 20% of people aged over 75 use a community alarm or telecare service. That’s about 137,000 individuals, all relying on technology to help them stay safe, supported and independent.

Many of these older residents live in social homes and it is often their housing association or local council that also provides their telecare.

As a result, social landlords have a mammoth task on their hands over the next 12 months as telecoms systems transition from analogue to digital connectivity.

For decades, the analogue telephone network has powered telecare solutions, burglar alarms, traffic lights, payment terminals and much more, right across Scotland and the UK.

However, the copper phone lines of this Public Switched Telephone Network are no longer economic to maintain and by December 2025, many telecoms companies will switch off their analogue landline networks. The remainder will be shut down by January 2027.

The upgrading of telecoms infrastructure to digital will have a big impact on telecare. A lot of analogue equipment won’t work as reliably over new digital networks. This is already being seen in Scotland, with a higher-than-normal volume of telecare call failures being recorded now the digital transition is underway.

Local authorities and housing associations will need to review and test their existing telecare and upgrade or replace it if needed, often with technologies that connect over mobile networks.

Thoughtful, well-planned procurement has a crucial role to play here, not just with sourcing equipment and running tenders, but developing the right specification for tenants’ needs, ensuring suppliers deliver on their targets, and securing cost savings throughout the contract lifecycle.

Here are six procurement steps housing associations and councils should consider as they plan their digital migration:

• Explore new opportunities: Don’t limit your organisation to buying digital replicas of old analogue kit. Think about the switchover as a chance to provide more personalised care, tailored to your tenants’ individual wants and needs.

Technology enabled care (TEC) can help people when they are out and about – not just in their home and it can be designed to support their personal ambitions and interests. Digital devices can also link with other smart systems, connecting lighting and heating controls to medication reminders and health monitoring.

AI-enabled solutions can act preventatively, learning someone’s routine and flagging, early on, when they might need extra support, before their health deteriorates.

• Plan ahead: Forward planning is really important with this transition. Dozens of social landlords across Scotland (along with hundreds throughout the UK) will be transitioning their telecare estate, so it’s vital that they act now while they still have freedom of choice around the suppliers and equipment they want.
• Get your spec right: Different local authorities and housing associations will have very different needs around technology enabled care. That’s why a well-considered specification is fundamental, briefing suppliers on exactly the type of service your tenants want.

Make sure you anticipate all interoperability requirements ahead of the tender exercise, too. Ensuring that telecare systems join up and speak to each other is crucial and something that needs to be identified early on in the procurement process.

• Access resources: Digital Telecare for Scottish Local Government are supporting housing providers throughout the migration, and they offer a wealth of guidance and information, along with a Digital Telecare Playbook. They also run an Implementation Award Scheme to recognise organisations that have reached key milestones in their digital transition. You can find out more here.
• Collaborate and co-ordinate: Sharing your learnings, challenges and migration journey will help other housing providers to safely navigate the digital transition too. There are a number of forums to co-ordinate with other providers, such as the M365 Cross-Organisation Collaboration programme and the Openreach ALL IP Scottish Forum.
• Contract-manage your suppliers: Regular, open communication is central to getting the best from your telecare suppliers. Having set key performance indicators (KPIs) at the start of the procurement process, make sure your telecare supplier is hitting them by holding regular review meetings. This means you can fix any problems quickly, something that is more important than ever with life-critical telecare.

As health and social care policy shifts from treating illness in hospitals to preventing it in people’s homes, telecare is going to become more important than ever. That’s why local authorities and housing associations must plan their digital migration now. Remember that strategic procurement can help you and your tenants to transition smoothly, safely and speedily.

• Andrew McAllister is account manager for PfH Scotland