Discover. Plan. Do.

Welcome to our newsletter, where we provide you with the latest from Digital Telecare for Scottish Government. In this edition, we bring you a recap of the events within the Digital Telecare Programme over the past month, along with insights of upcoming activities. 

If you have any queries regarding any of the content within this newsletter, please get in touch.

Shared ARC Platform Shortlisted for ITEC Partnership Award.

We’re excited to announce that the Shared ARC Programme, a national initiative led by the Digital Office, is shortlisted for the TSA ITEC 2025 Partnership Award! These awards recognise the positive impact of technology-enabled care services in the UK.

Developed through engagement with 13 early adopters - and over 65 stakeholders — including local authorities, housing associations, and government bodies — the Shared ARC Platform enables seamless integration of digital devices, enhancing personalisation, choice, and control for service users.

The winner will be announced on the 17th March at the ICC in Birmingham.

Telecare Response Service Survey.

The Digital Telecare team are seeking your support to help us understand the variations in telecare responder services across Scotland.

The evaluation of telecare responder services aims to: 

• Evaluate current services. 
• Identify common practices and provide recommendations. 
• Develop a service response model. 

If you would like to provide any insight or ideas for improvement in service delivery, there is an area towards the end inviting this type of response.  

Please return this by the 28th of March so that we can begin to evaluate your responses. 

Fife Health and Social Care Partnership Awarded Gold Level One Implementation Award.

We're happy to shared that Fife Health and Social Care Partnership has been awarded the Gold Level One Digital Telecare Implementation Award!

Fife Health and Social Care Partnership currently have 7,192 community alarm users and cover 66 sheltered housing complexes throughout the region. They offer their services in-house, from mobile assistants and mobile emergency carers, to community alarm operators. Their mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of people living in Fife.

Cara Jamieson, Telecare Supervisor, Fife Health and Social Care Partnership said: "I feel this is such a great achievement for the team. They have worked very hard over such a momentous change for our service, going digital was and has been such a huge learning opportunity for myself and the whole team. We have had obstacles along the way and adapted very well. To be given this award definitely reflects on the hard work of every single person working to go digital within our service and makes me feel immensely proud of the team we have here."

Bield Housing and Care Join the Shared ARC Platform.

We are delighted to welcome Bield Housing and Care to the Shared ARC Platform!

As the first housing association with an alarm receiving centre to officially join the Shared ARC Platform, this is a fantastic milestone for the programme.

Debbie Collins, Bield Housing & Care’s Interim CEO, said: “This collaboration is fully aligned with our corporate strategy, reinforcing our commitment to placing tenants at the heart of our services

By embracing cutting-edge digital solutions, we are not only enhancing safety and well-being but also supporting ageing in place - ensuring that more people can live their best lives at home, surrounded by a supportive community.”

We look forward to working with Bield as they commence onboarding and implementation activities.

Telecare Carbon Monoxide Detector Incident.

In February, the Digital Telecare Programme received a report from South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) that raises concerns about the current 2022 Home Fire Safety Standards and the potential life-threatening risk this poses to citizens.

For more information on the incident and to find out what steps South Lanarkshire HSCP have taken to mitigate this risk, see below.

Digital Health and Care Scotland Conference.

Holyrood held their flagship Digital Health and Care conference on the 18th and 19th of February, bringing together representatives from across the public and third sectors with those working in industry.

Vivien Danks, Digital Telecare Project Manager, attended the conference and featured on the Remote Monitoring and Self-Management Panel to discuss what technological solutions are available, and how they can help people manage their conditions at home where possible, to reduce the number of appointments and ease pressure on the NHS.

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

Futurescot Health and Social Care Transformation Conference.

David Brown, Digital Telecare Programme lead, and Rikke Iversholt, Portfolio Director for Social Care, Digital Health and Care Division of the Public Health Directorate at Scottish Government, will be presenting at the Futurescot Health and Social Care Transformation Conference on the 11th March. 

Featuring domestic and international expertise, Health & Social Care Transformation will showcase the impact that digital technology and new approaches to data are having on Scotland’s NHS and social care sector, bringing together tech and policy leaders with industry and academia in a ‘triple helix’ effect.

Digital Office for Scottish Local Government Digital Council Week.

To celebrate the launch of the new Digital Office Resource Centre, we are thrilled to announce Digital Council Week, taking place from the 24th to the 28th of March. Throughout the week, we will host a series of live and pre-recorded events with our partners and release new resources on the centre.

Stay tuned for updates!