Vulnerable people using safety alarms to be better protected by telecoms firms

A new agreement reached between the Government and the telecoms industry will ensure people relying on lifesaving alarms to call for help will be better protected.

Non-voluntary upgrades from analogue to digital must be started on a smaller scale to reduce accidental loss of phone services, while more vulnerable people are to receive an engineer visit.

The first Telecare National Action Plan will be published before the end of the year and follows on from agreements made in the Network Operator Charter earlier this year.

Greater protections for vulnerable people

With the analogue phone line network (PSTN) due to be switched off by 2027, the Government is acting to ensure those most at risk of harm from being disconnected are protected during the switchover.

Following a round table meeting attended by UK Telecoms Minister Chris Bryant and industry representatives including BT, Virgin Media, Vodafone, and Sky, an agreement has been reached regarding providing further protections to vulnerable customers being moved from analogue to digital lines.

The new Telecare National Action Plan, due to be published by the end of the year, sets out additional agreements that further non-voluntary switches will be started on a smaller scale to reduce accidental loss of phone services, while customers with telecare devices will receive an engineer visit following the upgrade of their line to ensure their safety alarm still works.

Chris Bryant also urged telecoms companies to extend the battery life of power back-up solutions beyond the existing one-hour minimum, helping to ensure customers have the time to call emergency services in the event of a power cut.

UK Telecoms Minister, Chris Bryant, said, "Old fashioned copper wire technology is coming to an end. If we want to stay in touch with the rest of the world we need a complete overhaul of our digital infrastructure.

"While this migration is necessary, it is vital the industry gets it right, and makes sure the most vulnerable are protected.

"This has kept me up at night and a priority that I have put at the forefront of my work since stepping into office. I am pleased telecoms companies, central government, and local authorities are working in lockstep to achieve customer safety."

Safeguarding checklist

Nearly two million people in the UK are reliant on telecare devices, including personal alarms and lifesaving buttons, which work by connecting customers to help via the telephone network.

The Government has also published an updated checklist for non-voluntary switches to protect these customers, which sets out that providers should:

• Communicate with affected customers well in advance of any non-voluntary upgrade to digital, including at least two different forms of communication and how to get in touch if they have any questions or concerns
• Identify as many telecare users as possible by signing data sharing agreements with local authorities and other checks
• Identify users who may need additional support, including by offering vulnerable customers a free engineer visit to support them through the switchover
• Ensure that any loss of service to telecare devices is restored as a priority, including reinstating the analogue phone line when necessary
• Provide battery back-up solutions that go beyond the minimum 1 hour of continued, uninterrupted access to emergency services in the event of a power outage
• (Re)-start non-voluntary migrations on a smaller scale to ensure processes are robust, with those first switched being customers who are least likely to come to harm in the event of a loss of service
• Known telecare users will only be switched unsupported (without an engineer visit) as an absolute last resort, and the provider will take exhaustive steps to avoid this

Theo Blackwell MBE, Chief Digital Officer for London, said, "This is a very welcome step from government to ensure the safety of vulnerable residents. For some time local authorities have warned that the hands-off telecommunications industry approach under-estimated the complexity, costs and risks involved in identifying, replacing and testing hundreds of thousands of life-saving devices in peoples' homes in London and across the country.

"We must now continue to work together to ensure all industry providers work in a consistent way and lessons can be learned so future infrastructure modernisations can be worked on collaboratively, as we build a fairer and more prosperous city for all Londoners."

The soon to be published, Telecare National Action Plan, follows on from the previous Government's Network Operator Charter, agreed in early 2024, which set out similar provisions to protect vulnerable customers during the digital switchover.