Shared Alarm Receiving Centre Platform

Following the national announcement of the analogue to digital switchover, the Digital Office, with funding and backing from the Scottish Government, are leading the national procurement of a shared cloud-based Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) Platform.

We're at a crucial point for telecare. There are great opportunities and tough challenges happening all together. The transition to digital has provided an opportunity for us to work together with telecare service providers to enhance telecare services for citizens. The potential benefits of the Shared ARC Platform include: 

• Reduce the technical burden of adopting digital telecare for services
• Provide a more resilient and flexible approach to telecare service delivery
• Unlock the flexibility to explore call handling innovations
• Deliver a cyber secure solution
• Deliver a platform to foster innovation and power pro-active services
• Improve access to and use of data
• Create an active group of member organisations
• Generate cost savings

Throughout the project we have collaborated with TEC Scotland, Farrpoint, and a team of Early Adopters to make sure the platform is suited to varying needs. Our Early Adopters include representation from the following organisations:

• Aberdeen City Council
• Aberdeenshire Council
• Angus Council
• Bield Housing Association
• Dundee City Council
• East Dunbartonshire Council
• East Lothian Council
• Hanover Housing Association
• Moray Council
• North Lanarkshire Council
• Perth and Kinross Council
• South Ayrshire Council
•  South Lanarkshire Council
• West Dunbartonshire Council
•  Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership (joined October 2022)
• Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar Council (joined March 2023)
• Stirling Council (joined July 2023)

With the help of our Early Adopters, and technical expertise from Farrpoint, the Digital Office co-created the technical specification for the platform with Scotland Excel. This was reviewed and signed off by the Shared ARC Technical Assurance Group in June 2022. Our team are now working closely with Scotland Excel to conduct a procurement exercise for the Shared ARC Platform.