With the UK telecoms network changing to digital, we look at why this is significant for all those involved in delivering telecare services. Find out what the digital switchover means in practical terms and what housing providers and service commissioners need to do next to ensure the safety of their customers.
Introduction
As the internet has become part of our everyday lives, our telephone services are changing to meet this demand, shifting onto a digital network in the UK. The publicity for this has been fairly niche and low key so far, as the changes will be minimal for many people. However, the digital switchover will have a significant impact on several services that use the telecoms network, including telecare.
It’s therefore essential that all those involved in the delivery of telecare services understand what a digital telecoms network means in practice and why there is an increasing likelihood this will affect the performance of telecare equipment not specifically built for digital.
This guide provides information and advice for housing providers, covering the following areas:
What is the digital switchover and why could this cause problems with our telecare services?
– What is the timeframe for the digital switchover?
– Why could this be causing our telecare equipment to fail?
– Our area isn’t on the digital network yet
– How do we know analogue telecare equipment will have problems on the digital network?
– What has Appello done to prepare for the digital switchover?
How can we tell if our telecare equipment is causing call failures?
– The rise in first time call failures – and why this is significant
– Why the status of your equipment matters
– What you can do – key takeaways
– How Appello can help
What should we do next?
– Five key steps to deal with the digital switch
– What others are saying about telecare and the digital switchover
– Useful resources
It’s important to note the impact of the digital switchover isn’t a commercial message from Appello. We know there have been mixed messages within the telecare industry but the information from independent sources, such as government and industry bodies, is clear.
“At the moment, many vulnerable telecare users are at risk… That’s because telecare is still mainly provided through analogue equipment and these devices may not be digitally compatible or perform as reliably as they do now on digital networks. The need to mitigate this risk is urgent… although the switchover won’t complete until the end of 2025, it has already commenced and will accelerate over the coming months.” Ministerial Forward to the Telecare Stakeholder Action Plan by the Department of Health & Social Care
What is the digital switchover and why this is causing problems with our telecare services?
Our telecoms providers are moving from traditional analogue phone lines, which operate over the Public Telephone Switched Network (or PTSN), to a digital or ‘all-IP’ network. These changes are particularly significant for systems not manufactured in the last few years, which were developed for analogue and are therefore not fully compatible with digital. This poses safety and reliability risks as the digital network is rolled out, including a rise in call failures and other potential safety issues.
What is the timeframe for the digital switchover?
BT announced that the UK would be upgrading to a digital network back in 2016, with other telecoms providers following suit. They set a deadline of 2025 for retiring the analogue lines – although this has been somewhat misleading, as it suggests there will be one momentous ‘switch on’ date when the digital network is ready. In reality, work is well underway at various locations around the country. Many areas already have digital in place, and this is increasing daily, which means we’re starting to see the impact on telecare services not designed for digital.
Why could this be causing our telecare equipment to fail?
Traditional telecare equipment communicates with a monitoring centre (also known as an Alarm Receiving Centre) using analogue signals, which are a series of audible tones and pauses. The problem is these analogue signals can be misinterpreted by the digital network, which essentially communicates in a different language. Depending on how badly the analogue signals are misinterpreted, the telecare alarm call can end up being distorted due to poor voice connectivity or can fail altogether, leading to multiple reconnection attempts and ultimately delaying or preventing an emergency response.
This is why the telecoms industry, including Openreach, Virgin, TalkTalk and BT, have recommended a shift to digital devices to ensure the reliability and safety of telecare services.
“The view of network operators (Openreach & Virgin) and communications providers (BT, Virgin, Sky) is that call failure rates for tone-based analogue communication will continue to steadily increase as the UK’s network infrastructure transitions to digital.” Digital Telecare for Scottish Local Government
But our area isn’t on the digital network yet…
Your telecare services can be affected even if your area hasn’t been moved to digital. This is due to the way calls are routed. When a telecare call leaves the users home, it travels across many different parts of the telecoms networks until it reaches the monitoring centre. It doesn’t matter if that monitoring centre is in the next street, it could still travel across multiple networks all over the country finding the quickest and most cost-effective route at that specific time.
With more and more areas being upgraded to digital, it therefore becomes increasingly likely calls from analogue equipment will touch parts of the digital network.
How do we know analogue telecare equipment will have problems on the digital network?
The Technology Enabled Care industry body, TSA, has been commissioned by the Department of Health & Social Care to co-ordinate testing of analogue devices over the digital network and publish the data. This independent testing to date has highlighted several issues, with the TSA commenting : “The results of these tests show there is a significant proportion (of TEC devices) that either function intermittently – or not at all.”
In its testing guidance, the TSA notes larger sample sizes may reveal a higher percentage failure rate, concluding: “Installing analogue-only equipment on digital landlines is not recommended. Analogue protocol disruption (is) expected to increase as core networks transition to digital.”
What has Appello done to prepare for the digital switchover?
All those involved in delivering telecare services need to ensure they’re prepared to meet the requirements of digital. Appello is no different. We’ve been working hard to adapt our services so we’re ready for the digital switchover. This includes:
– Significant investment to create the UK’s first digital call handling platform, CareNet, which received the UK’s first digital telecare call in 2016. We’ve managed millions of digital calls since then (and also continue to support analogue calls). This is while many other monitoring centres in the country are still unable to deal with digital calls.
– Further investment in our platform with the launch of CareNet EVO in 2022, which has been implemented across all our monitoring centres and gives even greater reliability and flexibility to our service.
– Developing leading applications such as AppelloSBR, which gives our customers easy access to data on their service users, with in-depth information on how calls have been received and managed.
– Developing our own award-winning, fully digital hardwired and dispersed telecare equipment, in response to the lack of development by other manufacturers. Our solutions are compatible with the digital network to ensure our customers have a choice of safe, reliable options.
– Investing resources to run national roadshows and online events to educate our customers on the changes, working with many telecom providers to ensure you’re up to speed on what is happening and the impact.
We’re committed to supporting housing providers as the UK moves to digital services. See ‘What should we do next?’ later in this guide for practical steps and a list of useful resources.
How can we tell if our telecare equipment is causing call failures?
From your perspective, it may seem as if alarm calls are not being picked up by operators or there are long delays before an operator answers or for remote signals to be sent, e.g.: for remote door opening. Alternatively, you may be receiving reports that the voice element of the call is being distorted, making it difficult to communicate effectively with the operator. Without any other information, this can lead to an incorrect assumption that there’s a problem at the monitoring centre.
Before making any assumptions, though, it’s important to be aware of the bigger picture. The digital switchover is having a documented impact on telecare services, so this needs to be a key consideration when investigating any issues.
The rise in first time call failures – and why this is significant
As work towards the digital switchover progresses, analogue telecare calls are much more likely to come across the digital network, even when your local telephone network has not yet been upgraded. This can lead to what is known as ‘first time call failures’. Measured from the first attempt to connect the telecare call, a call failure can include extensive distortion on the line through to a complete failed connection.
First time call failures are entirely outside the control of the monitoring centre – the problem lies with the analogue signal being sent by the telecare equipment. In fact, when a call reaches a monitoring centre there is no way to know if it has previously failed. This can only be identified by further analysis following the call.
There have been various reports across the UK of a rise in first time call failures since work began on the digital switchover, referenced by both the TSA and Digital Telecare for Scottish Local Government among others. This tallies with the findings of reliability testing of analogue equipment on the digital network by the TSA.
The findings also parallel our experience at Appello. We’ve been monitoring first time call failures rates across our monitoring centres, which support over 350,000 connections across the UK. We’ve seen these rates steadily increasing since 2016 to an average c10% of calls being impacted. This figure varies depending on the make and model of equipment, as some analogue alarm protocols (i.e. the language the equipment uses to communicate) are more vulnerable to failure over a digital network.
“Around half of providers and suppliers have already experienced issues with their existing telecare service because of the digital shift… Quoted failure rates across all service users were typically around 5%. However, the failure rate reported varied significantly; the lowest figure was 2.3% and one supplier reported seeing a failure rate of 30% for connections from older grouped scheme telecare equipment. For comparison, recent TSA Commissioner Guidance quotes a failure rate of 2.3% to 3.6% for alarm devices using analogue technology.” The Digital Shift and its Impact on the Telecare Sector in England, a report by Farrpoint for the NHS Transformation Directorate
Why the status of your equipment matters
Your telecare service relies on the equipment in use within your properties, which makes the alarm calls, and the monitoring centre, which receives these calls. You therefore need to look at both elements if you’re experiencing problems, in order to judge where these are stemming from. It’s important to review your current telecare equipment and check with the manufacturer or your maintenance provider whether this is analogue-only or has been confirmed as compatible with the digital network. With the digital switchover taking effect, there is a higher risk analogue-only telecare equipment could be causing call failures.
“Any equipment which does not fall into the category of ‘supported’ should be withdrawn from service as soon as possible. Supported products are those which are declared by manufacturers as fit for purpose on All-IP networks, or supported by ongoing repair and maintenance services, or still in manufacture. Any unsupported products should be planned for withdrawal and replacement as quickly as is feasible.” The Impact of Analogue to Digital Migration on Technology Enabled Care, TSA Industry Update
What you can do – key takeaways
Be aware of the implications of the digital switchover on traditional telecare services.
– Check whether any network changes have taken place in your region, as you may not have been notified you’re now on the digital network. Changes outside of your area can also have an impact and there is an increasing likelihood telecare calls will be routed via at least a portion of the new digital network.
– Consider if issues are occurring due to your telecare equipment, as independent testing has shown analogue-only equipment is likely to have compatibility issues if this comes into contact with the digital network.
– With a national increase in first time call failures in line with the digital rollout, you may be experiencing this with your telecare services.
– Make sure you know what telecare equipment you have in place and contact the equipment manufacturer and/or your maintenance provider to ask if they have tested the equipment works correctly on the digital network. (See ‘What should we do next?’ for some questions you can ask.)
– If your equipment manufacturer or maintenance provider has confirmed your telecare equipment is not suitable for the digital network, contact your monitoring centre to confirm any proposed upgrade is compatible. We’re also able to talk you through our own digital solutions if you’d like to compare your available options.
How Appello can help
We’re here to support our customers through the digital transition. When we’ve had reports of an increase in call failures, we’ve investigated individual cases. While the reasons for issues can be complex, these investigations have found the large majority of cases are due to old and analogue equipment that is not compatible with the digital network.
If you’re an Appello customer and have concerns about an issue with a call failure, we can work with you to confirm whether there are any technical issues. To do this, we require details of who made the call, what piece of equipment was involved (the make and model) and when (date and time) the call was made.
As the UK’s largest monitoring centre, we employ over 400 staff across three locations, handling over 5 million calls annually. We have comprehensive systems and processes in place to keep a close check on the reliability of our monitoring service.
– Accredited by the Quality Standards Framework (QSF) – this standard from industry body TSA sets performance benchmarks that we must adhere to, including a requirement to provide evidence of our call handling times.
– We exceed TSA guidelines in answering 99% of calls in 180 seconds, with an average speed to answer from January to March 2023 of 15.66s.
– We apply rigorous reporting to monitor performance, not only to ensure robust handling times but also to review trends and changes in call dynamics which safeguards service users.
– Proactively working with our customers during regular reviews; providing clear information to aid with digital transition.
What should we do next?
The message from the Government, other public and industry bodies, and telecoms providers is that analogue telecare equipment needs to be upgraded to meet the requirements of the digital network. The onus is on your organisation to secure the safety of your telecare services for the people who rely on these.
While there is no quick solution, our aim at Appello is to help ensure the process is as straightforward as possible. We’ve put together some practical information and useful resources to help you prepare for digital telecare. You can also contact us to get your questions answered with one of our experienced team members.
Five key steps to deal with the digital switchover
Make sure you know what telecare equipment you have in place currently
Create an asset register of all your telecare equipment for a clear picture of your current systems. Include details such as the manufacturers, the versions of the equipment, the age, what they do.
Monitor call failures
Keep a record of any call failures and/or significant connection delays, to give an overview of issues, and understand what your normal levels of service look like. The Local Government Association suggests pinpointing “trends in failures – by equipment type, telecare protocol and area” so you can “identify service users or equipment types that are experiencing reliability issues and that need contingency measures to be put in place”.
Talk to your equipment manufacturers and/or maintenance providers
There can be mixed messages from telecare equipment manufacturers, so ask specific questions such as:
1. Why is my telecare equipment not working appropriately?
2. Is my equipment compatible with the digital telecoms network?
3. What digital telecare protocols does my telecare equipment use to communicate?
4. Has this equipment been tested with the telecoms providers at their digital labs and can we see the results?
Create contingency plans
You may experience issues with analogue telecare equipment before you’re able to implement digital telecare. The Local Government Association suggests contingency measures including: “regular telecare alarm tests/check-in calls; maintain a stock of equipment known to operate reliably on digital lines for fast deployment; alternative, non-telecare based, care arrangements”. Be aware that devices on digital networks require a power source, so you need to think about how customers can connect with emergency services in the event of local power failure (and ensure your digital telecare solution incorporates a sufficient back-up battery to deal with this).
Understand the opportunities digital offers
The transition to digital telecare can be a significant investment. But this provides many benefits in addition to faster and more reliable connections, such as real-time monitoring of devices, remote administration access and added functionality. This gives you the opportunity to empower your customers to feel more secure, more connected and in control – while enabling your organisation to work more effectively. It’s important to be clear about your requirements and what digital telecare can do. Learn from the experiences of housing providers who have already made the switch to digital telecare, with case studies such as our video diaries series .
“The digital switchover presents telecare service providers with opportunities to improve and transform their services. Switching to digital telecare can offer better-quality services tailored to meet each service user’s specific needs.” Department of Health & Social Care
What others are saying about telecare and the digital switchover
It’s important to note the impact of the digital switchover isn’t a commercial message from Appello. The information from independent sources, such as government and industry bodies, is clear.
What national and local government bodies say:
“The switchover has implications for the reliability and safety of analogue telecare equipment, which cannot be guaranteed to operate safely and reliably over digital telephone lines. In the telecare sector, the government’s priority is to see action taken to mitigate any risks to users of telecare services before their switchover day.” Department of Health & Social Care
“The transition to digital telecare is no longer an option. It is becoming increasingly urgent for the transition to be undertaken, in order to mitigate against the growing risks of maintaining analogue services during and after the transition to digital telephony.” National Briefing Document, Digital Telecare for Scottish Local Government
“The switch over has already begun… Already the digital migration is affecting connectivity, and in some cases the functionality of in-home telecare alarms.” TEC Cymru, Digital Health.Wales
“The transition has begun already with many telecom exchanges having converted over to fully digital. This is starting to affect functionality and connectivity today, and the risk increases from 2023 when BT will no longer sell analogue devices.” Local Government Association
What telecoms providers say:
“Openreach has once again reiterated that analogue telephone equipment and services will be decommissioned by the end of 2025 and that Communications Providers such as BT and Virgin will need to transition their customers to digital products and services by this date at the latest. However, the transition programme has already started and many customers will need to be offered alternatives much earlier than this.” UK Telehealthcare
What industry bodies say:
“Anyone that is intent on finding reasons to keep their analogue-only solutions in place, contrary to expert advice, rather than accepting and embracing change, will clearly be doing so for short-term financial reasons, and will be doing so despite offering an inferior service to their competitors and potentially putting their customers at unnecessary risk.” Advice from NICC Standards
“This (digital) shift has urgent implications for the technology enabled care (TEC) sector and the millions of people who rely on telecare in the UK. The transition has begun already with many telecom exchanges having converted over to fully digital… Action and careful planning needs to begin now so that telecare and social alarm service reliability and safety is not compromised: that lives are not put at risk.” The Digital Shift, TSA
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