Technology enabled care (TEC) provider, Tunstall Healthcare has supported Blackpool Council’s Vitaline service to migrate more than 5,000 telecare connections onto its SaaS monitoring platform, ensuring the council's technology enabled care service is ready for the digital switchover.

While maintaining uninterrupted support for vulnerable residents throughout the transition, the move was underpinned by detailed planning and close collaboration between the organisations, with operational teams, engineers and project managers from both sides working together to ensure continuity of care at every stage.

Alongside service continuity and no disruptions during the switch, the move for Vitaline to Tunstall's PNC IP SaaS platform has also enabled a more efficient way of working for carers, as the platform automates several administrative tasks.

Operators also have the ability to securely handle calls from individual laptops using the software, rather than static hardware, removing the requirement to be at one specific location when managing calls.

Andrew Gaulton, Assistive Technology Lead at Vitaline, said: “Thanks to this seamless transition with Tunstall, we now have a robust platform that means we’re ready for the digital switch. It’s faster, more efficient and gives us the capability to offer more individualised and proactive services.

“We also tested links to third-party systems to ensure they would function correctly in the new environment, while manual records were maintained throughout the transition so no updates were lost. The migration was seamless and the support from the team has been, and remains, fantastic.”

Looking ahead, Vitaline plans to introduce further equipment such as GPS wearables and will use the platform's data insights to support more preventative, joined-up care alongside partners including the Frailty Service, North West Ambulance Service, Hospital Discharge teams and the local Rapid Response MDT.

The new platform has also made it easier for Blackpool Council to demonstrate the wider value of its service, from signposting residents to befriending schemes and falls prevention support, to strengthening links with council emergency social care teams.

At Tunstall, we’re proud to support our customers with a seamless analogue-to-digital switchover experience. As one of the biggest changes the technology-enabled care sector has faced, it presents an opportunity for local authorities to think about how monitoring services are delivered.

Our recent work with Blackpool Council’s Vitaline service demonstrates our commitment to robust planning to ensure minimal disruption while creating a more resilient and efficient care model.

Ahead of the transition, we carried out extensive end-to-end testing of the full solution, including field equipment and devices, alongside multiple test migrations of customer data to confirm records transferred accurately.