If someone relies on an alarm connected to a landline, tell their phone provider that they use telecare. Ask the telecare provider which equipment is installed and what has been tested for the digital connection. Keep the current alarm and monitoring arrangement working until the provider confirms a safe change.
What is changing in 2027?
UK telephone companies are replacing the old public switched telephone network (PSTN) with digital services, with the current closure date of 31 January 2027. Individual customers can be moved before then. A phone that works after the change does not prove an old alarm connected to that phone line will also work.
The change is an opportunity to move towards digital alarms with better service monitoring and more flexible connections. Some existing analogue equipment can be adapted, but reliability depends on the whole chain: the alarm, the connection and the alarm receiving centre.
Government guidance published on 8 October 2026 warns that people relying on telecare need particular care during migration. There is no blanket rule that every alarm will fail.
Find out which alarm is installed
- Ask the person, their family or housing provider for the alarm provider’s name and the monitoring centre’s contact details.
- Check whether the base unit plugs into a telephone socket, broadband router or mobile network connection. Do not disconnect anything to find out.
- Tell the phone company and broadband provider that somebody at the address uses a telecare or personal alarm.
- Ask the alarm provider to confirm, in writing if possible, whether the specific model and monitoring connection are compatible after migration.
- Agree who will arrange any replacement, installation and test. If the service came from a council or housing association, start with them.
Questions worth asking the provider
- Is this a fully digital alarm, an analogue unit using an adaptor, or an older PSTN-only service?
- Has this exact alarm and monitoring-centre combination been tested on my new connection?
- What happens if the router or mobile network loses service?
- How long does the alarm and the router or hub work during a power cut? Do both need separate battery backup?
- Will you perform an end-to-end test from the alarm button through to the staffed response centre?
- Who pays for the replacement or service change, and will monitoring continue without a gap?
- Whom should we phone if a test call fails or we are unsure the upgrade is complete?
Testing after the connection changes
Ask the provider to test the real alarm with the actual receiving centre, including two-way speech and any fall detector or additional pendant. A successful ordinary telephone call is not an alarm test.
Do not simulate a fall or rely on the device during a planned test without telling the monitoring service. Confirm the test procedure, and ask who will check again after installation or a phone-provider upgrade.
Power cuts and mobile coverage
Many digital voice services depend on powered equipment at home, such as a broadband router. A battery in the alarm alone may not keep the whole connection working. A mobile-network alarm has different strengths and limitations: it still needs coverage and a functioning service.
If somebody depends heavily on a fast response, ask the monitoring provider how the backup route is designed and tested. Some modern digital systems can report faults automatically, which is a useful improvement over older installations that were difficult to check remotely.
If nobody can confirm compatibility
Contact the alarm company or housing/council service first and explain that the digital phone change is approaching. Ask for a risk assessment and an upgrade or reliable interim arrangement. Do not assume that an untested adaptor makes an analogue alarm safe.
If the person needs emergency help right now, follow the normal emergency response arrangements. This page is about planning an equipment change, not an alternative emergency service.
When professional advice matters
Seek appropriate medical, pharmacy, occupational-therapy, social-care or safeguarding advice where the decision affects medication, emergency response, capacity, consent, mobility or significant risk. A website cannot observe the home, the person or the family’s ability to respond.
