Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham
Digital Digital inclusion

Mayors express grave concerns about impact of digital switchover on residents


  • Andy Burnham and Mayors from across the UK call on Government to take national responsibility for withdrawal of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)
  • Mayor of Greater Manchester warns vulnerable and older telecare users being left at risk
  • Call for pause in the rollout of the digital switchover while safeguarding measures are fully considered

ANDY Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, has joined other Mayors from across the country in expressing grave concerns about the impact of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) retirement, also known as the digital switchover, on vulnerable people.

Together with the Mayors of the Liverpool City Region, South Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, North of Tyne and West of England, he is now calling on the Government to take responsibility at a national level and ensure proper support for those affected.

The PSTN is the dedicated legacy telephony network that connects calls via physical, copper phone lines. It is being decommissioned in the UK, by December 2025, at which point landline telephone services will switch to a fully digital network. This means phone calls will be carried over the internet.

Unlike the move to digital TV, which was Government-led, the withdrawal of the PSTN is industry-led, as the network is privately owned. The programme is necessary because the current analogue technology is outdated, inefficient, and unsustainable. For most people the switchover is easy, but not for everybody.

Vulnerable and older people who rely on telecare call buttons and pendant alarms at home and in care homes, and people who use landlines to call relatives or 999 services, are being left at risk. Some vulnerable telecare users are being switched over to digital services, without the necessary checks to ensure that these lifeline devices still operate effectively or being supplied with digital back-ups.

Operators of telecare equipment and supported housing providers have reported significant costs associated with upgrading equipment to ensure compatibility. Without additional funding, telecare service providers will have to consider introducing charges, or downgrading services, with negative impacts for vulnerable people.

The Government has said that the upgrades are “not part of a government programme and do[es] not result from a government decision or policy”. The Minister for Data and Digital Infrastructure has confirmed the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will not be providing funding to local authorities to meet the cost of replacing or upgrading telecare devices, despite extraordinary pressures on local government finances and the risk to life if the issue remains unresolved.

Ofcom recently announced a new investigation into an individual telecoms company and how it is “identifying, protecting and supporting vulnerable customers and ensuring uninterrupted access to emergency organisations”.

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said:

“Urgent action is needed to ensure the safety of vulnerable people. We shouldn’t be making changes to infrastructure that keeps people safe without absolute confidence in the new arrangements and the transition process. We want to see a pause in the roll out of this programme while safeguarding measures are fully considered. We are also calling for a National Action Plan to tackle these crucial issues, and the Government must consider the costs of this switchover incurred by local public services.

“Last week Ofcom announced a new investigation, prompted by concerns about how vulnerable people are being identified, protected and supported. They also want to ensure uninterrupted access to emergency organisations. Having examined current telecoms processes and listened to feedback from telecare services across Greater Manchester, we believe that this is an industry wide issue that requires Governmental accountability and oversight.”

In a letter to the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, sent on 21 March 2024, Andy Burnham jointly with the Mayors of Liverpool City Region, South Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, North of Tyne and West of England calls for Government to take responsibility for this at a national level. The requests include the development and implementation of a National Action Plan agreed between industry and Government to ensure that the estimated 1.8 million people with telecare support are safely migrated.

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) supports the need for the switchover. Organisations throughout the region are working with telecommunications providers and the telecare industry to try to enable an effective transition.

Full text of the Mayors letter

21st March 2022

Dear Secretary of States,

We are collectively writing to you to express our grave concerns about the delivery of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) switchover for vulnerable people and in relation to the costs of switchover incurred by local public services.

We fully support the need for the switchover and our organisations are working with telecommunications providers and the telecare industry to try to enable an effective transition. However, whilst your recently launched PSTN is well received, further action is urgently needed. There continue to be instances where vulnerable telecare users are being switched over without the necessary checks to ensure that these lifeline devices still operate effectively. We understand that delaying the PSTN switchover may have cost implications, but we urge you to consider the value of human lives against the cost savings. The current processes have gaps that are putting people at risk, and we request an urgent review of the situation.

We request that Government drives further improvements at national level, overseeing the development and implementation of a National Action Plan that is agreed between industry and Government to ensure that the estimated 2,000,000 people with telecare support are safely migrated.

As a minimum, we propose that this National Action Plan includes:

  • A mandatory requirement that any of the 600+ communication providers which are implementing switchover sign up to the Charter before continuing implementations, and that the common definition of vulnerability referenced in the Charter is established urgently.
  • An agreed Telecare industry charter setting out the responsibilities of the sector which sits alongside the Charter is developed with communication providers.
  • An agreed, joint, and adopted LGA, NHS, telecommunication, and telecare sectors “On the Day” process for public and privately funded telecare users, and other people at higher risk
  • A national reporting mechanism and requirement for communications providers and telecoms companies to capture and track serious issues.
  • A joined-up and coordinated approach to data sharing relating to households with vulnerable people that enables communication and telecare providers to work together more effectively.
  • A national government fronted public communications approach to raise awareness about an issue that persists even among the business community. This approach must be well-planned and provide appropriate guidance to Local Authorities on how to manage the consequences of this.

PSTN switchover is a complex process involving many parties and needing specialise expertise. In addition to industry activity, it requires capacity in local authorities and their partner organisations, in the Local Government Association to engage and support local authority readiness, and the Technology Services Association to implement PSTN switchover standards across the telecare industry.

No funding is available from government or industry to support the cost of this transition. Local authorities are having to retain some analogue devices rather than switch completely thus increasing the risk of failure, or they are needing to introduce charges resulting in service withdrawals thus increasing pressures on 999 and A&E services. Local authorities have a huge range of operations, so the impact for them is larger at a time when adult social care budgets are under strain. We would urge that these budgetary pressures are properly considered, and a fund be established to offset costs to local taxpayers, which are estimated to run into the millions per metropolitan borough.

If the potential benefits of linking change with long-standing ambitions around health and adult social care had been recognised from the start, there could have been a significant opportunity to create more integrated services. Therefore, we request that the government conduct a review with local authorities to ensure any future programmes take into consideration the learning from this experience.

We would be grateful for urgent consideration of these proposals and request a rapid response.

Yours sincerely,

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester

Jamie Driscoll, North of Tyne Mayor

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region

Oliver Coppard, Mayor of South Yorkshire

Dr Nik Johnson, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mayor

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire

Dan Norris, West of England Mayor

 

Article Published: 22/03/2024 14:51 PM