15nr Sheltered Housing Complexes - Design & Installation of Warden Call Systems

About

North Lanarkshire Council currently operates analogy warden call and telecare systems across 15 sheltered housing.

These systems provide a critical service to vulnerable tenants, enabling emergency assistance to be summoned in the event of falls, medical emergencies, welfare concerns, or other incidents where immediate intervention is required.

The existing systems were installed using analogue telecommunications technology.

However, the telecommunications industry is undergoing a nationwide transition from analogue to digital infrastructure, with analogue services scheduled to be withdrawn.

This transition presents significant challenges for legacy warden call and telecare equipment which were not originally designed to operate on digital networks.

To mitigate this risk, Tunstall, the Council's existing provider, together with the Digital Office and wider industry partners, developed and promoted a solution commonly referred to as a "Black Box" device intended to enable existing analogue systems to continue operating over a digital connection.

The Council delayed full system replacement across its whole estate on the basis that this solution was expected to provide a viable interim mitigation while a longer-term replacement programme was developed which the council has started with 15 properties complete to date.