Aberdeen City Council has taken action to switch its telecare services from analogue to digital landlines.
It has joined the Shared Alarm Receiving Centre (Shared ARC) platform, working in partnership with Bon Accord Care and health and social care partnerships in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray.
The council said this will provide over 13,000 telecare users with digital landlines for the service.
This comes in advance of the telecoms companies moving from the public switched telephone network to digital lines, a move which has raised concerns in local authorities about the effects on telecare, although the UK Government has recently won a promise of protective measures by the telcos.
Aberdeen Council said the adoption of the new system makes it one of 17 early adopters across Scotland, and that it is aiming to provide a fully digitalised telecare service by the end of 2025.
Support and advice
Service users will be supported during the implementation and advised when it is time to switch, and the council’s emergency response team will continue to provide its services in telecare, alarm monitoring, lone worker support and other emergency out of hours services.
Cllr John Cooke, chair of Aberdeen’s integrated joint board, said: “The introduction of this advanced digital alarm system is a major step forwards in protecting the most vulnerable members of our communities while progressing the digitisation of our services."
The Shared ARC Platform is part of the Digital Office for Scottish Local Government and Scotland Excel, who support local authorities with their digital transformation journeys.
David Brown from the Digital Office said: “This announcement marks a significant step forward in enhancing the safety and wellbeing of citizens who rely on telecare in the North-East of Scotland. By implementing cloud technology and advanced digital solutions, this collaboration will enhance service delivery and drive innovation both now and in the future.”
