Tell your provider about telecare

Last reviewed: 2026-03-04

Why you need to tell them

Your phone or broadband provider needs to know that a telecare alarm is connected to your line. If they do not know, they may migrate your line to digital voice without checking whether the alarm will still work. Under Ofcom's rules, providers must not migrate customers with telecare or life-safety devices without confirming compatibility first. But they can only do that if they know the device exists.

This page gives you a script to use when you call, the questions to ask, and what to write down afterwards.

Before you call

Have these details to hand:

• Your account number or the name on the phone/broadband account
• The make and model of your telecare base unit (the box the pendant talks to), if you can find it on a label
• The name of the company that monitors your alarm (this may be different from your phone provider)
• Whether the base unit plugs into a phone wall socket or into the broadband router

If you are not sure what equipment you have, see how to identify what you have before calling.

What to say when you call

Ask to speak to someone about the digital landline migration or the move to digital voice. Then use this script:

"I have a telecare alarm connected to this phone line. The alarm is [a pendant / a pull cord / a wristband] and the base unit is connected to [the phone socket / the broadband router]. I need to make sure the alarm will still work after the line moves to digital voice."

If you are calling on behalf of someone else, say so at the start. You may need to be listed as an authorised contact on the account.

Questions to ask

Work through these one at a time. Write down the answers as you go.

1. "Do you have a record on this account that we use a telecare alarm?"
2. "When is this line due to move to digital voice?"
3. "Has the alarm been confirmed as compatible with your digital voice service?"
4. "Has it been tested end-to-end, meaning the monitoring centre received a test signal, not just a voice call?"
5. "What happens to the alarm in a power cut? Will the router have battery backup?" (See will my phone work in a power cut? for background on this.)
6. "Are we on the Priority Services Register? If not, can you add us now?"
7. "What is the process if something goes wrong with the alarm after the switch?"

If they say the alarm will be fine

Ask them to confirm exactly what "fine" means. A working voice call is not the same as a working alarm signal. Telecare base units use signalling protocols (such as Contact ID) that can fail on digital voice connections even when voice calls appear normal. The TSA (Telecare Services Association) has documented cases of alarms that appeared connected but failed to send signals to the monitoring centre.

Ask:

"Can you confirm that the alarm signalling, not just voice calls, has been tested end-to-end on a digital voice connection?"

If they do not know

This happens. The phone provider may not know the details of your telecare alarm, because it was supplied by a different company. In that case:

1. Ask the phone provider to flag the account so the line is not migrated until the alarm has been checked.
2. Contact your alarm provider separately. Ask them: "Is this model compatible with digital voice? Can you test it?"
3. If the alarm is provided by the council, contact your local authority's telecare or assistive technology team.

You should not agree to migration until both the phone provider and the alarm provider have confirmed the alarm will work.

After the call

Write down and keep:

• The date and time of the call
• The name of the person you spoke to
• Any reference or case number
• What they said about compatibility and next steps
• Whether they added a note about telecare to your account

Confirm in writing

Send a short email or letter to the provider summarising what was agreed. Keep a copy. If there is a dispute later, a written record carries more weight than a phone conversation.

Something like:

"Following our call on [date], I am writing to confirm that you have noted on our account that we use a telecare alarm on this line. You confirmed that [summary of what they said]. Please respond if any of this is incorrect."

What to do next

Once you have spoken to your phone provider, contact your alarm provider too. They need to confirm the equipment is compatible and ideally run a test. For the full list of questions to ask both providers, see contact your provider.

If you or the person you care for is elderly, disabled, or has a health condition, check whether the Priority Services Register can give you additional protection during the switch.