Appello, a UK telecare monitoring centre, has announced the launch of a monthly report revealing exclusive data on first-time call failures (FTCFs) in telecare across the UK.

The report provides comprehensive data to the housing and care sector, offering critical insights into the prevalence and impact of FTCFs, which occur when a telecare alarm call fails to connect to the monitoring centre, potentially delaying emergency response and leaving vulnerable individuals at risk.

This issue is becoming increasingly prevalent as the UK telecoms network undergoes a major digital upgrade. Older analogue telecare devices often struggle to communicate effectively with this new digital infrastructure, increasing the likelihood of FTCFs, according to Appello.

Sourced from Appello’s monitoring centres across the UK, which handle over four million telecare calls annually, the report offers a unique and representative view of FTCF rates nationwide. Alarmingly, the report identifies that some telecare devices are failing to connect over 50 percent of the time.

Key features of the report include the current FTCF rate in the UK, which telecare devices are the most prone to FTCFs, and the identification of legacy systems with higher FTCF rates.

Craig Barlow, Managing Director at Appello, commented: “We are committed to transparency and empowering the industry with the knowledge to improve telecare services. By publishing this monthly report, we aim to enable housing and care providers to make informed decisions, drive improvements in technology, and ultimately enhance the safety of vulnerable people across the UK.”

From the data within the report, Appello hopes that housing and care providers will be able to better assess the reliability of their current telecare service, make informed decisions about upgrading their telecare equipment, and take proactive steps to protect their customers.

The report will be published monthly, providing ongoing insights into FTCF trends and supporting continuous improvement within the sector. The report can be downloaded for free here.

Previously, Appello published a guide for housing and care providers about how to mitigate first-time call failures in telecare.