Welcome to our newsletter, where we provide you with the latest from Digital Telecare for Scottish Local 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.
We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Countdown Campaign!
Over the next 12 months, our Countdown Campaign will spotlight some incredible efforts and achievements within the telecare community in Scotland. Each month, we’ll showcase your successes, highlight key information, and celebrate the outstanding contributions made by individuals and teams across our sector.
We would like to invite you to get involved, whether by sharing your experiences, or participating in upcoming events and initiatives. Your voice and your work are central to our shared mission. Stay connected for more details!
We’re delighted to share that we’ve been shortlisted for an award at the Digital Health & Care Awards 2026, hosted by Holyrood Connect.
Each year, the awards celebrate digital innovation across health and care, recognising outstanding work across six categories.
Our Digital Telecare team has been shortlisted for Digital Health & Care Team of the Year, recognising the collective effort behind Scotland’s analogue‑to‑digital telecare transition and the delivery of resilient, future‑ready services.
Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on 10 February in Edinburgh. We wish the Team the best of luck!
Just a quick reminder, the benchmarking testing period is now underway, running from 26th January until the end of February. This is an important time for everyone to check that the new data collection tool and analysis sheet work as they should for you and your service, and to help support the national benchmarking process.
We’d really appreciate it if you could get hands-on with the new tools, note any issues, and let us know your thoughts. Your feedback helps to ensure these resources work for everyone. Once this testing period ends, we’ll set up a review session to talk through any common problems and agree what needs amending before we go live at the end of March.
Thank you for all your help and commitment to making our benchmarking project a success!
Spotlight: Housing Blog
We are excited to share the most recent Housing Blog which focuses on historical telecare systems.
Telecare systems for Scottish housing must be upgraded to digital by January 2027. Organisations across the sector have different resource constraints, and legacy equipment still shapes resident expectations. Modern digital technology allows personalised support for residents, but funding and approaches can vary.
Housing providers should start by identifying what equipment they have. Some providers are investigating the use of temporary copper‑based products like Pre-Digital Phone lines (PDPPL), though BT still advises moving to digital before 2027.
This month’s spotlight features an update to the Playbook guidance to support Telecare Service Providers:
PLAY165 - Encryption in Telecare
PLAY165 provides essential guidance for Telecare Service Providers on new cybersecurity and data protection risks. As telecare alarms increasingly communicate over the Internet, a public and inherently insecure network, robust encryption is essential to protect sensitive user data, especially special category data transmitted during telecare calls.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to the recent Telecare Service Review. Your timely feedback, detailed insights, and cooperation have been instrumental in providing an overview of what Telecare in Scotland looks like.
Over the coming weeks, we will share a summary of key findings, outline the next steps, and invite further collaboration. Your continued engagement will be essential as we move forward together.
Stay Connected:
Telecare Service Provider (TSP) & Meet the Supplier (MTS) Meeting: 18th February 2026
Mark your diaries for our upcoming TSP & MTS meeting, which will take place on Teams on Wednesday 18th February 2026 at 10am and 10.30am.
These gatherings present an invaluable opportunity to connect with fellow TSPs, discuss ongoing projects, and review our collective progress to date. We will feature guest speakers, facilitate focused discussion, and highlight key work within the telecare community.
Martyn Wallace, our Chief Digital Officer, will be speaking at the 2026 Digital Health and Care Transformation Conference in Edinburgh on Thursday, 12 March 2026.
He will be joined at the conference by David Brown, who will participate in a panel discussion on Living Safely at Home and technology‑enabled innovation to support community‑based care.
