The solution and result
The first step was to gather core suppliers to get their perspective and expertise on the situation. This encompassed their phone line providers, IT support team and telecare providers. The group was later expanded to cover their maintenance provider, as well as industry body TSA as an advisory agency.
“We realised we had a real challenge in our knowledge of who does what in terms of our set up and compatibility,” says Ian Brooke, CEO at Thame & District Housing Association. “We wanted to make sure we had the right conversations with the right people.”
The process was more complex than they had originally appreciated.
“While we had a plan in place, we didn't realise just how many players were needed to make it work,” explains Ian. “Those conversations started in the summer and ran to the December deadline, so some of our sites needed to go onto an emergency response.”
The solution was to implement Appello's analogue to digital converter, SmartBridge. This ensured analogue telecare equipment would continue to operate effectively over the new digital lines – and, uniquely, would preserve all the essential functions of the telecare service.
Disruption was minimal, with the installation taking just one day. As SmartBridge is designed to maintain existing systems, it was straightforward for staff to adjust, with no fundamental change in the way these worked.
Residents were also happy with the outcome. “They're now very pleased,” says Ian. “Calls are going through much more rapidly. Before they were hanging a lot, so the connectivity's improved.”
The Association was able to mitigate the immediate risks of the PSTN withdrawal and ensure the safety of their telecare services. This has given them the breathing space to continue with their upgrade programme as planned.
“SmartBridge does exactly what it says – it bridges the analogue over to the digital,” says Ian. “It's working really well for us.”
Key Learnings
The transition has been a learning curve for Ian and his team. They didn't want to simply ‘go digital’; they also wanted to improve their understanding throughout the process.
Ian's tips for other housing providers include:
Find the right people quickly
“In hindsight, we needed to set up the meetings more quickly based on our timescales.”
Clarify roles, map partners and know your sites
“Understand who does what. It's also key to know your sites and tech. Do you need a site audit so you can be clear about what you've got and what the issues might be?”
Learn key terms, cut tech jargon
“Encourage the use of plain English when things are being explained. But we also have a responsibility to understand key terms to avoid confusion.”
Communication and relationships deliver outcomes
“There are complexities. Everyone is set up differently, so understanding those relationships is really important.”
