At December’s Full Council Meeting, Conservatives raised the issues experienced by residents during power outages and the loss of digital services for significant periods during Storm Darragh. These were most extreme in more rural and remote areas of the borough.
Where analogue landlines had already been converted to digital systems, the phones failed as soon as the power was cut. Not all residents had mobile phone but for those that did, the batteries failed a short time into the power outages which in some cases lasted 2 – 3 days.
These areas are already more vulnerable to intermittent power outages caused by aging and vulnerable power infrastructure, by digital “black spots”, poor reception and slower broadband speeds. Nonetheless, the national digital upgrade continues apace and is due to be completed during 2027.
Whilst the Council Leader and Chairs of relevant committees acknowledged these problems at December Council and identified potential strategies to address them, a more formal, multi-agency approach is urgently required, to bring these forward in the limited time-frame available.
The Government has now recognised this issue in relation to telecare services.
“…old landlines are still vital lifelines for very many people, including users of telecare, and
it is crucial that we take people through the digital phone switchover safely. Upwards of 2
million people in the UK use telecare - the most common example being personal alarm
pendants or buttons that many of us have seen family members use - and most of these
telecare devices have historically relied on the analogue landline network”
“Telecare users have been identified as being at risk during the digital phone switchover, with past serious incidents underscoring the importance of safeguarding these individuals” (DHSC: 11.02.2025)
Working collaboratively and closely with stakeholders from across the telecommunications
and adult social care sectors, a new Telecare National Action Plan was launched on 11th
February 2025.
“Helping people to stay independent in their own homes, joining up services and improving
the quality of care is essential to the future of Social Care. Technology enabled care (TEC)
plays an important part in achieving this. The action plan sets out our vision for how to transition telecare provision into a modern, digital and resilient part of adult social care. The migration to digital telephone networks will lay the foundations for a next generation of telecare services so that care is personalised
and preventative.“ (DHSC: 11.02.2025)
This approach is not just a national requirement but is a necessity for Cheshire East Council, if it is to take control of social care expenditure and bring spiralling care costs under control.
With the concerns raised in December still inadequately answered and in the light of this new approach, Cllrs Janet Clowes and Andrew Kolker will be raising a formal Notice of Motion to Council on February 26th, to ensure the safety of our most vulnerable residents during and after the analogue to digital “switch”.
The Notice of Motion:
It is therefore proposed that this Council moves:
1.To implement the National Telecare Action Plan and its outcomes as follows:
- no telecare user will be migrated to digital landline services without the
communication provider, the customer or the telecare service provider confirming
that the user has a compatible and functioning telecare solution in place - use of analogue telecare devices is phased out to ensure that only digital devices
are being used - that telecare users, their support networks and their service providers understand what
actions they need to take - stakeholders collaborate to safeguard telecare users through the digital phone
switchover
2. That the data acquired through implementation of the Telecare Action Plan is
recognised as the baseline for further work with other vulnerable residents:
- To identify those communities with no/poor digital access (black spots).
- To identify other vulnerable residents (eg older residents, residents still dependent
on analogue phones, residents dependent of 2G and 3G that are also being phased
out) and expand the data base.
3. To design and distribute a Residents’ Safety Toolkit
- providing advice, guidance and practical support, to enable residents to better prepare for periods of power or signal outages.
4. To lobby Government to further invest in those areas that have little or no digital
access,
- in particular to ensure that residents in rural or otherwise isolated areas are
not excluded from accessing effective digital services that would enable them to stay
in their own homes for longer.
5. Work with NALC, CHALC, Town and Parish Councils
- to develop their own Local Resilience Plans, utilising local knowledge and skills to further mitigate the impacts of extreme weather events or other local, critical incidents.
[END]
REFERENCES
DHSC February 2025
Telecare National Action Plan: protecting telecare users through the digital phone switchover -
GOV.UK
BT September 2023
https://newsroom.bt.com/bt-announces-regional-rollout-schedule-for-digital-voice/
https://www.bt.com/about/all-ip
GOV.UK: Vulnerable Customers
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-transition-from-analogue-to-digital-landlines
Ofcom: Calls in Power Cuts
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/landline-phones/future-of-landline-calls
Commons Library (2020/21: Impact of storms and extended power cuts).
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9471/
Cllr Concerns in Norfolk November 2023
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-67706670
May 2024: Charities Concerns (2025 deadline extended to 2027)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5119g5z4q5o
