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.
Less Than 350 Days Left Until the End of the Digital Telephone Migration.
Only 350 Days left until the end of the digital telephone migration!
Our Digital Telecare Programme is here to support all Scottish Local Authorities, Health and Social Care Partnerships, and Housing Associations in preparing for this transformation.
Whilst BT has extended their migration deadline to 2027, other telecom companies are unchanged and we remain committed to counting down to the 2025 deadline to ensure all Scottish Telecare Service Providers are ready well in advance.
Transitioning to digital services before the 2025 deadline is crucial to avoid any interruptions. Our dedicated Digital Telecare team is armed with the resources and expertise to help you on your journey to digital.
Apply Now for the Silver Digital Telecare Implementation Award.
If you have completed your Internal Acceptance Testing (IAT) get in touch with us now!
You may have been undergoing procurement exercises recently for digital ready devices, or have been waiting to connect to a digital alarm receiving centre and are now over the threshold. If this is the case and you have completed your IAT, then youmay be eligible for a Silver Implementation Award.
To be eligible you need to have either:
1. Procured a digital alarm receiving centre and completed IAT with the evidence below:
Signed Checklists for Bronze 1 and Silver
End-to-end testing report
IAT results summary
Roll-out plan and evidence of resources and contracts in place
Or
2. Procured over 50% digital ready devices and completed IAT with the evidence below:
Signed Checklists for Bronze 2 and Silver
Telecare service provider summary report on roll-out of devices
IAT results summary
Roll-out plan and evidence of resources and contracts in place
If you believe you have reached Silver criteria, email us with the attached evidence (noted above) and we can progress your award application.
The detail for the evidence and checklists can be found below.
Note: To access the Implementation Award Guidance, please firstly log-in to the Digital Telecare Playbook and then click the button above.
Careium i10 Heat and Smoke Detectors.
We recently mentioned an issue with a small number of the i10 sensors experiencing battery depletion.
Careium have been investigating this issue and advice by Careium on adding these sensors to your DMP has recently been sent to all customers. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact account manager Warren Gooding or the Careium Support team.
East Renfrewshire HSCP Awarded Platinum Digital Telecare Implementation Award.
East Renfrewshire has achieved the Platinum Digital Telecare Implementation Award, making them one of the first telecare service providers in Scotland to reach this significant milestone!
Owen O’Donnell, East Renfrewshire Council Leader, said: “This is a fantastic achievement from a service which supports nearly 3,000 clients to live independently in their own homes throughout East Renfrewshire. Congratulations to everyone involved.”
Sharon Hannah, Digital Telecare Project Manager, presented at the TSP Meeting on the 29th January to highlight the increasing instances of telecare-related scams and outlines actions for detection and prevention. The focus is on scams related to the digital migration of telecare services.
Key Issues Identified
Multiple scam versions, including unscrupulous sales practices and voice phishing.
Telecare scams are random and have no identified geographical target but centre around analogue to digital migration.
Fraudulent one-off payments for digital units or sign-ups for digital lines or broadband services are becoming more common.
Assistance and Planned Actions
Report attempted and actual scams to Advice Direct Scotland Advice Direct Scotland (ADS) by calling 0808 164 6000 or visiting www.scamwatch.scot who in turn liaise with Trading Standards.
Telecare teams sign-up to Trading Standards ScamShare Bulletin for the latest information.
Improve reporting to better understand methods used and target prevention.
We encourage everyone involved in telecare services to stay vigilant and proactively report any suspicious activities. Please educate service users, families, staff and carers about potential scams and the importance of using trusted communication channels like “pendant or pull-cord” activation to the ARC to report incidents.
By working together, sharing and reporting instances of attempted or actual scam activity, we can enhance our ability to detect and prevent telecare-related incidents, ensuring a safer service for all.
To catch up on Sharon's presentation, or access the All-IP guidance leaflet for service users, see below.
Note: To access the All-IP Leaflet, please firstly log-in to the Digital Telecare Playbook and then click the button above.
Scottish Borders Council Awarded Bronze Digital Telecare Implementation Award.
Scottish Borders Council have been awarded the Bronze Digital Telecare Implementation Award!
Chris Myers, Joint Director / Chief Officer, Scottish Borders Health and Social Care Partnership and Integration Joint Board, said: "This award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our Technology Enabled Care team and I’m delighted that the progress they have made with the transition of our service from analogue to digital has been recognised. Our community alarm and other digital telecare solutions provide a vital service for clients and family carers, and I know the team will continue to do everything they can to ensure everything is in hand ahead of the final switchover."
Seeking Real-life Examples o Scottish Ambulance Service Engagement Issues.
We are reaching out to gather real-life examples of engagement issues with the Scottish Ambulance Service, particularly around outcome calls where telecare service users (SUs) are taken to hospital. These examples will support our discussions with Hanover and 999 service representatives, helping to personalise and tell the story more effectively.
We are especially interested in cases where police, housing staff, or family involvement has taken place. These situations often heighten anxiety as there is a need to "search" for the SU's whereabouts after they have been taken to hospital by ambulance services.
One of the key challenges we face is the inconsistency in the 999 service's approach to sharing call outcomes. GDPR is often cited as a reason to refuse passing on call outcomes, but Alarm Receiving Centres (ARC) pass the SU data in the first instance and have next of kin (NOK), preferred contacts, carers, and family information.
This data can support the communication process and raise awareness of where the SU has been taken. However, the inconsistency in 999's approach leads to inconsistent ARC services, which are often blamed for not having the full picture.
We would greatly appreciate any examples of 999 harbouring attempts to pass the baton-back to ARC's by way of call outcome. Additionally, if you have a close down call reason or code to capture statistics, it would be a valuable addition to our discussions.
Your contributions will help us address these issues more effectively and improve the overall engagement process. Thank you for your support.
