The reach of the housing sector extends across Scotland and services millions of people in every community. Individually and as a collective we have the potential to make huge contributions to the health and wellbeing of our communities, especially those experiencing increased levels of social deprivation, poorer health outcomes and who face digital exclusion.

Developed to support and underpin the use of TEC in creating and delivering housing solutions, the TEC in Housing Charter pledges provide a framework for housing providers to undertake a variety digital service development. The Charter Pledges have a strong focus on engaging customers and encouraging partnership working, the sharing of ideas and learning lessons from others. Using these insights to navigate this new digital landscape, avoiding pitfalls. The TECH community is a learning and knowledge exchange led by TECH @SFHA and includes over 50 RSL’s including local authorities from all across Scotland who have signed up to a TECH Charter Pledge.

Join our growing TECH Community and demonstrate your organisation’s appetite and enthusiasm for the TECH revolution in housing by committing to one of the pledges below. You can also join here.

Pledge 1: Opportunity and Solution Focused

We will clearly define the issues we face in meeting customer needs and understand the opportunities TEC can bring. In creating solutions, we will be aware of those that are simple and easy to implement and recognise those that may require further development and testing. We will listen and learn from the experiences of our customers as well as other organisations who have addressed similar issues.

Pledge 2: Engaging with the Customer

As more of our customers are living longer and often in poor health, we will maximise the benefits that TEC solutions can bring. We will do this by taking account of their needs and putting them, their families and/or carers at the heart of the co-design, testing and review of customised services, to enable customers to live in their homes safely and independently, for as long as possible

Pledge 3: Working in Partnership

We will share ideas with others and work collaboratively with colleagues in our own organisation, as well as the wider housing sector, allied professions, universities, and other research institutions.

Pledge 4: Preventative Analytics

We will work in partnership with customers and other, including health and social care colleagues (commissioners and providers) to investigate the use of the preventative analytics to achieve the greatest impact for vulnerable people. We will use the data generated to help us wit strategic planning and the management of assets and servicers.

Pledge 5: Service Redesign

We will use technology as a key element of service redesign, providing preventative and supportive TEC solutions for existing and future customers, so that we produce better outcomes for individuals and their families and/or carers. Service redesign will include being aware of the impact of TEC on staff roles, and upskilling and supporting staff as needed. It will also include financial appraisal of the options in terms of cost to our customers.

Pledge 6: Supporting the workforce

We will provide leadership and support staff to enable the, to adapt to the changes brought about by TEC. We will give our staff opportunities to increase their knowledge of the role of TEC and digital healthcare and use the insights of frontline staff to influence service redesign.

Pledge 7: Getting the infrastructure right

We will think ahead and ensure we obtain the advice and support we need to enable good decision-making when investing in any technological infrastructure or equipment used for delivering TEC solutions. This includes being aware of the opportunities provided by the analogue to digital switch over.

• Steph Elliot is Technology Enabled Care in Housing (TECH) lead at the SFHA