BT has delayed the deadline by which care homes have to switch from physical copper-based landlines to internet-based services following various concerns, including support for vulnerable people.
Nearly two million people in the UK use personal alarms which rely on analogue landlines, one reason why the deadline has been pushed back from the end of 2025 to the end of January 2027, to allow for a suitable alternative service.
The delay presents a great opportunity for care homes to get ahead of the game, with significant savings and efficiencies to be made.
Simon Hayler at GHM Care says: “We are managing customer migrations from analogue to digital, while making necessary provisions for future connectivity for residents”.
“The ageing analogue technology is increasingly fragile and so it’s really important to start the switch to digital as soon as possible. There are also some very exciting benefits and savings that can be made straight away”.
“Not only are there potential cost reductions but care homes can access better phone system resiliency and continuity. Incoming calls can be re-routed easily if power fails at the home. Outbound calls can also be better protected when using our solutions”.
Residents also benefit when a care home switches from analogue to digital – taking advantage of options such as:
- Big Button phone in resident rooms with no line contract
- Bring across their home telephone number into their room
- Free calls
- The ability to control phone features from a central phone system e.g. no unwanted calls at night
You can read how other care homes and groups have already switched to hosted phone systems on our case studies page or you can find out more about our hosted telephony for care homes here.
We also have a guide on everything you need to know about switching your care home from analogue to digital.