Digital telecare needed to combat limitations of ‘analogue’ landlines
Care that works quietly in the background
Digital telecare is the next generation of telecare. Simple sensors around your home stay connected all the time, so the right people know straight away if you need help.
- Smoke and heat
- Movement and activity
- Home environment
- Personal alarms
Current analogue approaches are not fit for purpose
Most telecare today runs through the home phone landline. This is called ‘analogue’ telecare, and it is coming to an end.
Landlines are being switched off
Soon, homes will no longer have a traditional landline, so landline alarms will stop working.
Old alarms can fail
Around 3 in every 100 alarm calls already fail on the new digital phone network, sometimes with tragic results.
Care isn’t joined up
Analogue systems don’t share information between carers, so needs can be missed or work is repeated.
People are already moving on. More than three quarters of those aged 65 to 74 have the Internet at home, mobiles have overtaken the home phone, and landline calls have nearly halved since 2010 (Ofcom).
What it means for you
- Stay in your own home for longerLive independently, with support when you need it.
- More reliableAn ‘always on’ connection, unlike the old landline.
- Fewer unnecessary visitsUp to half of home visits need no action. Discreet monitoring means carers come when they’re really needed.
- Better care, lower costBetter outcomes for you, and less pressure on public budgets.
Digital telecare will improve outcomes, keep people living independently for longer, and deliver this at a reduced cost to public budgets.
Scotland alone could save over £15m a year by cutting just one hour in every ten of care for those who need the most.
Why digital telecare matters for care services
Health and care services are under real pressure from a growing, ageing population. Telecare helps by bringing care into people’s homes.
- 1 in 7people over 65 have telecare today
- £3m to £7.8mpossible savings for a typical council
- 100,000people in Sweden already use digital telecare
The Scottish Government is investing in telecare and planning the move to digital. Reports from Farrpoint confirm digital telecare is more reliable, more efficient and can support many more care needs.
Scotland has 22 alarm receiving centres (ARCs), the hubs that pass information between people and their carers. All are analogue and will need replacing. The yearly cost of each option:
The reports are excellent, but the ‘do nothing’ figure leaves out important costs:
- People pay for their own landline today. Under digital, the state pays, which makes digital look more expensive than it is.
- It doesn’t allow for more people needing telecare in future.
- It still costs around £6m a year in support and maintenance.
- It ignores unnecessary call outs for home care, social workers, police, ambulance and fire services.
- It doesn’t count the savings from lower demand on health and care services.
Supporting 300,000 analogue users would cost far more than 300,000 digital users, with no gain in safety, social inclusion or health. Any future spend on analogue telecare is a wasted budget.
Scotland is a world leader in telecare, with millions invested in digital and a digital champion in Martyn Wallace. It should lead the way in the UK and beyond.
It’s time to leave analogue in the past
Talk to us about moving you or your loved one to digital telecare.