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.

The Shared ARC Platform Wins TSA ITEC Partnership Award.

This recognition is a testament to the fantastic collaboration and dedication demonstrated by everyone involved in what we truly believe is a ground-breaking initiative.

This achievement would not have been possible without the unwavering efforts of our incredible service providers in Scotland. Your commitment to excellence and relentless pursuit of innovation have been the driving forces behind the success of this programme. Your hard work and dedication has made a significant impact on the lives of countless individuals for decades to come, and for that, we are truly grateful.

This award belongs to all of us. It is a celebration of our collective effort, dedication, and shared vision. Let us continue to work together to push the boundaries of what is possible and to make a lasting difference in the lives of those we serve.

Clackmannanshire & Stirling Health & Social Care Partnership Successfully Implement the Shared ARC Platform.

This is a great achievement and means that Clackmannanshire and Stirling are amongst the forefront of Scottish HSCPs and Local Authorities in delivering the analogue to digital switchover of telecare. Since securing capital funding in 2022, teams from across the HSCP and partner bodies have collaborated successfully to create long-term benefits for supported individuals.

Lawrence Hay, Head of Customer Service & Performance, Stirling Council, said: “The 24-7 Customer Service team and the MECS teams have demonstrated unwavering support and dedication in implementing the new Chubb and Skyresponse MECS Telephony system while continuing to maintain their usual high standards of customer service. Their hard work and commitment have been instrumental in ensuring a smooth transition and the successful deployment of this new digital platform, an achievement they should be incredibly proud of.

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.

Not sent us your response? We have extended the deadline until the 4th of April. 

Blackwood Homes and Care Awarded Platinum Implementation Award.

Blackwood’s journey to achieving Platinum has been unique. Over a decade ago, their aim was to go beyond merely replacing box and button equipment in care homes. This led to the development of a custom platform, CleverCogs, that integrates care homes, home care, alarm services, and housing into a single environment.

Blackwood’s next innovation involves exploring radar and AI technology to geo-locate presence and identify patterns of behaviour through sound, such as recognising when someone might be crying, shouting for help, or sounding distressed.

West Dunbartonshire Health and Social Care Partnership Awarded Bronze Implementation Award.

West Dunbartonshire HSCP has made significant progress in transitioning to a digital Telecare system. By taking advantage of the resources provided by the Digital Telecare Programme, they reviewed their services and equipment and in collaboration with East Dunbartonshire Council, they successfully adopted the Shared ARC Platform, enhancing service delivery and operational efficiency. Then with support from Scotland Excel, the Digital Office, and their procurement team, they conducted a rigorous procurement process for digital alarms, ultimately selecting Chiptech as their preferred supplier.

Beth Culshaw, Chief Officer, West Dunbartonshire HSCP, said: “I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone involved in achieving this remarkable award. It's wonderful to see your fantastic efforts being recognised."

Cair Peripherals Update.

We have recently been made aware of an issue with battery depletion in some Cair peripherals, particularly the falls pendant. In some cases, the battery has been found to be depleted, with no prior ALB warnings. 

Please check your auto low battery report to see if you are receiving ALB alerts from any of the Cair peripherals you have in the field. You may want to consider testing a sample of any that have not sent any recent ALB warning. 

If you do discover any peripherals with battery depletion, please let us know. In the first instance, contact the service desk and request a return form and returns procedure to arrange returning them to Cair for investigation. 

As with all peripherals, please make sure they are regularly tested. In the case of pendants, ensure that the service user is asked to test at least once a month.  

Digital Council Week.

To celebrate the launch of our new Resource Centre, the Digital Office hosted Digital Council Week from the 24th to the 28th of March. Throughout this week, we shared a series of live and pre-recorded events in collaboration with our partners, as well as unveiling new resources on the centre.

Each day focused on a key theme: 

• Monday: Digital Leadership
• Tuesday: Data Driven 
• Wednesday: Innovation 
• Thursday: User Focused
• Friday: Partnership and Collaborative Working

Martyn Wallace, Chief Digital Officer of the Digital Office, stated: "Digital Council Week demonstrates that the digital transformation of local government and the enhancement of community outcomes are reliant on partnership working and collaboration. We hope this week has been beneficial and encourages you to support our initiatives. We express our gratitude to all our partners for their contributions and involvement in making this week successful."