The digital phone switchover: what care homes need to check

The UK’s analogue telephone network is being switched off, and most customers are expected to have moved to digital lines by the end of January 2027. For a care home the main risk is not the office phone. It is the equipment that quietly uses a phone line to call for help: nurse call diallers, alarm communicators, telecare and lift lines. This guide explains what to check, how power cuts change things and who to speak to.

What is the digital phone switchover?

The analogue telephone network, often called the PSTN, is being replaced by digital phone services that run over broadband connections. Providers are moving customers in stages. Government guidance says most customers are expected to have made the switch by the end of January 2027, and the national network operator says all traditional phone lines will be going digital by 31 January 2027.

For the office phone, the change is usually straightforward. The risk in a care home lies in the equipment that quietly uses a phone line to raise an alarm or call for help. Your telephone provider may not know what is plugged into each line, so the job of finding out sits with the home.

Which care home devices could stop working after the switchover?

Anything that uses a phone line to send a signal or make a call could be affected. In a care home, check:

• nurse call diallers or gateways that call an on-call manager or a remote monitoring service;
• telecare and social alarms in any flats, bungalows or extra care apartments on the same site (see our guide to digital warden call systems);
• fire alarm communicators that signal to an alarm receiving centre;
• intruder alarm communicators;
• lift emergency phones;
• door entry and gate intercoms that ring a phone;
• card payment machines at reception or in a café or shop;
• any line used to monitor or support building systems remotely, such as heating controls or CCTV.

Some devices keep working on a digital line after a settings change. Others need replacing, or need to move to a different signalling path such as a mobile or network connection. Only the device supplier can confirm which applies, so ask each one in writing.

Why do power cuts matter more on digital lines?

An analogue line carries a small amount of power from the telephone exchange, which is enough to run a basic corded phone during a power cut. A digital line depends on equipment in the building, such as the router, that needs mains power. Government guidance says providers should have at least one solution that gives access to emergency organisations for a minimum of one hour during a power cut at the premises, offered free of charge to those at risk.

A care home needs to think beyond a single phone. Ask which alarm and nurse call signalling must keep working in a power cut, whether the router and any signalling equipment are on the home’s standby generator or uninterruptible power supply, how long any batteries last, and who tests them. Keep charged mobile phones available and check that they have signal in the areas where staff would use them.

How do you audit your phone lines and connected devices?

Start with paperwork, then walk the building. Your telephone bills and provider account list the line numbers you pay for, but not what each line does. The maintenance lead or estates team can trace where each line ends and match it to a device. Expect to find lines that nobody remembers, and lines that are paid for but no longer used.

Switchover audit steps

• List every telephone line number, its provider and the account it sits on.
• Identify the device on each line and where it is in the building.
• Record the device supplier and the maintenance contract that covers it.
• Ask each supplier in writing whether the device is confirmed to work on a digital line and what change is needed.
• Check power backup for each device and for the router it will rely on.
• Tell your telephone provider which lines carry alarms, telecare or lift phones, so they are flagged before migration.
• Agree a test for each device after migration, with the monitoring centre or receiving service taking part.
• Update your fire risk assessment and business continuity plan to reflect the new arrangements.

What protections are in place for telecare users?

In December 2023 leading communications providers agreed a Charter to protect telecare users and other vulnerable customers. It commits that no telecare user will be migrated to a digital landline without the provider, the customer or the telecare company confirming that a compatible and functioning telecare solution is in place. Providers also committed to work towards battery backup that goes beyond the Ofcom minimum of one hour. A second Charter for network operators followed in March 2024.

These protections help, but they depend on the provider knowing that telecare or alarm equipment is on the line. Tell them, in writing, and keep a record of when you did.

Who should a care home call about the switchover?

Government guidance recommends starting with your telephone provider. After that, speak to each device supplier: your nurse call maintainer, fire alarm maintainer, intruder alarm company, lift maintenance contractor, door entry installer, payment provider and any telecare service that supports residents in independent living on your site. The alarm receiving centre that monitors your fire alarm should confirm that signals are still arriving after the change.

Inside your organisation, one person should own the audit and the evidence. For a group, that is often estates or operations; for a single home, the registered manager working with the maintenance lead. Whoever looks after your network also needs to be involved, because digital lines, routers and signalling devices become part of your IT and network estate.

Should you replace equipment or adapt it?

If a device is otherwise sound and its supplier confirms a supported digital option, adapting it can be sensible. If the switchover exposes an ageing nurse call system with an analogue dialler, few spare parts and limited reporting, it may be the prompt to plan a wider upgrade on your own timetable rather than in a hurry. Our nurse call systems page and nurse call buyer’s guide set out what a modern system should do, and our guide to connected resident safety explains how alerts from different systems can be brought together.

Switchover readiness checklist

• Have we listed every phone line and matched it to a device?
• Has every device supplier confirmed, in writing, how their equipment works on a digital line?
• Have we told our telephone provider which lines carry alarms, telecare or lift phones?
• Is the router and any signalling equipment covered by backup power, and who tests it?
• Do we have charged mobile phones with signal in the areas staff would use them?
• Have we planned a test of every device after migration, with the monitoring service taking part?
• Have we updated the fire risk assessment and business continuity plan?

Frequently asked questions

When is the analogue phone network being switched off?

Government guidance says most customers are expected to have moved to digital lines by the end of January 2027, and the national network operator says all traditional lines will be going digital by 31 January 2027. Providers migrate customers in stages, so your lines may change before that date.

Will our nurse call system be affected by the digital switchover?

Only the parts that use a phone line. Calls between rooms and staff handsets inside the building normally do not. A dialler or gateway that calls an on-call manager or monitoring service may be affected. Ask your nurse call supplier to confirm, in writing, how it will work on a digital line.

What happens to our phone lines in a power cut after the switch?

Digital lines rely on powered equipment in the building, so they stop working in a power cut unless there is backup. Providers should offer at least one solution giving access to emergency services for a minimum of one hour. Care homes should also plan backup for alarm and nurse call signalling.

Does our fire alarm monitoring need to change?

It might. If your fire alarm communicator signals to an alarm receiving centre over an analogue line, ask your fire alarm maintainer and the receiving centre whether it is compatible with a digital line or needs a different signalling path. Test that signals arrive after migration and update your fire risk assessment.

Who is responsible for checking our alarms work after migration?

The home is. Your telephone provider changes the line, but it may not know what is connected to it. Each device supplier should confirm compatibility, and someone in the home should arrange and record a test of every alarm, telecare and lift line once the migration is complete.

If you would like help auditing your lines and connected systems, or working out whether the switchover is the right moment to upgrade nurse call, we can look at your home with you and give clear, practical recommendations. Book a care technology review.