Care Homes and the PSTN Switch-Off: Telecare, Nurse Call and Phone Lines

Care homes need to check every device on a phone line before 31 January 2027, not just the phones on the desks. The main system is the easy part. It's the nurse call interface, the lift line, the fire panel and the emergency red phone that quietly stop working when the copper line goes.

T2K Voice & Data has been moving businesses off legacy lines for more than 35 years, and care settings are where we see the most surprises. A home in Christchurch or Winchester may have three or four dial-out devices nobody has thought about since the last refurbishment.

What stops working when the PSTN switches off?

Anything that relies on an analogue or ISDN line stops working unless it has been upgraded or replaced. Care England specifically names telecare, intruder and lift alarms and emergency red phones as devices that may fail, and tells providers to make sure their alarm and telecare systems are compatible with digital technology.

Openreach has said that more than 12,000 lift lines and around 500 CCTV lines nationally still needed upgrading when it published its switch-off update. Our guide to alarms, lift lines and card machines covers the wider list. For a care home, the usual suspects are:

• Nurse call: some systems dial out to an on-call phone or an external monitoring centre.
• Telecare and pendant alarms: resident units that call a monitoring centre over the line.
• Lift and fire panel autodialers: often on a line of their own, installed years ago.
• Door entry and CCTV: remote viewing or call-out features on a dedicated line.
• Resident handsets and the office fax or card machine: easy to forget, awkward to lose.

How do you audit a care home before the switch-off?

1. Walk every floor and the plant room. Note every device with a phone socket or a telephone lead.
2. Write to each supplier (nurse call, alarm, lift, fire, CCTV) and ask whether the equipment works over IP, and what it costs to change.
3. Run the PSTN switch-off checker to see which of your lines are affected.
4. Check your connection. Voice needs about 100 Kbps per call each way, so ten calls at once is roughly 1 Mbps in each direction, on top of everything else your internet carries.
5. Plan for a power cut and a broadband fault. Backup connectivity and battery cover for the router matter more in a care setting than in an office.

Our 90-day PSTN switch-off checklist turns the same steps into a timetable.

Which phone system suits a care home?

It depends on whether you need to connect to nurse call. T2K's care sector page says Mitel MiVoice Business integrates with platforms such as Rauland, Ascom and Tunstall, while Horizon and 3CX typically don't. So settle that question first, then choose the system.

You can compare the platforms on our Mitel MiVoice Business page. For a multi-site example, see our case study of nine care home sites, where familiar analogue handsets stayed in place for residents.

Can residents keep their ordinary phones?

Often, yes. Adapters let a standard analogue handset work on an IP system, so residents don't have to learn a new phone. Test each room before you rely on it, because older handsets and extension wiring can behave oddly.

What about call recording and compliance?

If you record calls for safeguarding, tell callers, set a retention period and limit who can listen. No supplier can guarantee CQC compliance for you, because it depends on how the system is set up and used. Start with our guides to call recording law and GDPR and call recording.

How long have you got?

Less than three months. The stop-sell on new lines is already in force, and the final switch-off date is 31 January 2027. Homes in Bournemouth, Poole, Southampton, Salisbury, Weymouth and Dorchester are all in the same queue for engineers and number porting, so an audit this month beats a rush in January.

Frequently asked questions

Will my nurse call system stop working?

It will if it relies on a phone line to call out, and many older systems do. Ask your nurse call supplier in writing whether it works over IP and what the upgrade involves.

Do resident phones need replacing?

Not necessarily. Analogue handsets can usually keep working through an adapter, but check each room.

Can we keep our existing phone numbers?

Yes, in most cases the numbers can be ported to a digital service. Start the request early, as it can take longer than people expect.

What happens if the broadband goes down?

Calls stop unless you have a backup connection or a mobile divert. Plan this before the switch, and test it.