Telecare is a life-critical issue for vulnerable tenants, writes Amanda Rimmer, so it’s vital that landlords are digitally prepared before the old analogue system is shut down next year
There are just nine months until the UK’s old copper phone network will be switched off.
This has serious implications for thousands of vulnerable social housing tenants. Why? Because many of the life-critical telecare devices they rely on are analogue: designed to work over old copper lines, not new digital networks.
Shockingly, only around a quarter of grouped living schemes – including sheltered, supported and retirement housing – have fully upgraded their analogue telecare systems to digital. Although the number of digital devices in individual social homes is higher, too many tenants still count on kit that won’t work as reliably on digital IP networks.
Come 1 February next year, vulnerable tenants who fall or need help, could press their alarm and nothing happens. That presents huge operational and reputational risks to social landlords, let alone to the people, families and carers who depend on telecare for safety, independence and peace of mind.
Recent research highlighted an ‘awareness paradox’ around this issue. Although 98.6% of housing providers know about the 2027 deadline, only 23.6% view it as a major concern.
So why the disconnect? Some assume the cut-off date will slip again, but it won’t. The switchover is already happening across the UK, and it won’t be paused to give providers more time.
The bigger issue is competing priorities: with damp and mould, fire safety and net zero dominating agendas, the digital switchover simply isn’t being given the spotlight, budget or board level attention it needs. Add in patchy understanding of responsibilities and risks, and many housing organisations still don’t know what practical upgrades to take.
Social housing procurement teams have a crucial role to play here, not just in conducting tenders, sourcing digital devices and generating savings, but in developing specifications that meet residents’ varying needs, driving market quality, and closely managing suppliers so they deliver on contract targets.
Here are five ways that strategic procurement can help housing organisations get ready for switchover.
Reimagine care and support
This is an opportunity to redesign care, not simply modernise equipment.
Rather than buying digital versions of existing analogue alarms, housing providers must procure innovative, preventative support. Digital technology enabled care (TEC) offers real-time data and insight, helping providers and families make better-informed decisions and intervene earlier, before crisis point.
It also opens the door to more personalised TEC for tenants, along with systems that integrate with people’s different smart-home technologies.
This approach also benefits organisations. Personalised, proactive systems strengthen both customer and staff satisfaction, freeing up employees to focus on vital in-person care. Operational efficiencies are created by cutting avoidable call-outs, improving reliability, giving teams clearer visibility of risk and using resources more effectively.
Specify for people, not products
Creating a thorough, robust and future-proof specification is crucial. Start with understanding your tenants – their needs, their homes and the staff who support them. This is what allows you to personalise care and choose technology that genuinely improves quality of life.
Your spec should go beyond listing devices: it must define outcomes, interoperability requirements and the level of preventative insight you expect from digital telecare. That means asking suppliers how their systems integrate with existing peripherals, how they can expand in terms of tenant numbers and requirements, and whether they are fully digital rather than relying on analogue components hidden in the chain.
Ensuring systems are interoperable, so they can ‘speak’ to other care technologies is essential. A well-built spec gives you control, avoids costly dead ends and ensures the telecare you procure is designed for future demands.
Raise the bar on quality
Telecare is life-critical, so the standards you build into the procurement process really matter. Housing providers should only commission digital systems and devices that meet recognised industry standards, including BS 8521-2 for grouped living, EN 50134 for dispersed alarms and the new BS 8684 for TEC services.
Certification through TEC Quality’s Quality Standards Framework (QSF) also provides reassurance: it embeds standards, prevents the use of analogue-only equipment and holds suppliers (and TEC service providers) to account on reliability and performance.
For procurement teams, insisting on these benchmarks is a powerful way to drive quality across the market. It reduces the risk of device failure, improves service consistency and gives organisations confidence that the technology they buy is safe, robust and designed to last.
Keep contracts on track
Telecare contracts can’t be left to drift. Once suppliers are appointed, procurement and operational teams must actively monitor delivery against agreed Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Regular performance reviews, clear escalation routes and open dialogue will all help to build clarity and trust, tackle problems early on and avoid value leakage. With life-critical services, this isn’t bureaucracy – it’s safeguarding.
Good contract management ensures reliability, protects tenants and secures the value your organisation expected when the contract was signed.
Tap into trusted guidance
A wide range of organisations offer practical, accessible support on the transition.
National telecare body, TSA offers TEC buyer guidance, digital readiness checklists and more. The Local Government Association’s Digital Switchover Hub brings together toolkits, FAQs and local authority examples, while the NHF provides briefings on risk and tenant impact.
The government’s Telecare National Action Plan sets out the actions it expects stakeholders to take to protect telecare users during the switchover. Use these resources to inform your transition design and delivery.
Ultimately the key message is act now. Analogue telecare will be obsolete by 31 January 2027, and social landlords cannot afford to carry this risk. Review your systems immediately, understand what must be upgraded and make the switchover a visible organisational priority.
Strong procurement leadership will be critical to planning and implementing a safe, well-governed, future-proof transition.
Main image: Amanda Rimmer is category manager at Procurement for Housing
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