CONCERNS have been raised ahead of plans to switch old landlines to digital services across Helensburgh and Lomond.

The change by January 2027 could disproportionately impact rural residents and the elderly who rely on phone-based support.

Telecare, for example, involves personal alarms to help a person live in their own home and independently.

But even as faster broadband speeds are rolled out across the country, there are fears that vital connections such as Telecare could be impacted.

A full 40 per cent of those using such services have not been switched to digital options.

The older analogue infrastructure is getting harder to maintain and phone companies are leading an effort to replace them with digital connections, meaning landlines would rely on the internet.

However, these would go down if the power went out.

At the Helensburgh and Lomond Community Planning Group meeting last week, the issue was raised.

Iain MacInnes, strategic transportation policy officer at Argyll and Bute Council, told the meeting: "It's going to be really challenging but it has to happen. There's more breakdowns and they need to get this rectified for resiliency."

Chairperson Sarah Davies said: "It's difficult and we are going to have to be on the ball with our vulnerable individuals.

"I'm pleased it's not happening until 2027 so we have a lot more time. We need to keep monitoring this and asking questions."

Cove and Kilcreggan Community Council secretary Sheelagh O'Reilly raised concerns at the meeting about the impact. She urged individuals to check their situations as soon as possible to prepare for the changes.

She told the Advertiser afterwards: "I raised the issue regarding the landline switch off around what happens if there is a wide spread power cut so that the 'call-centres' which provide the Telecare services are also affected.

"Are they resilient? Do they have generators? Do they have battery back up and if so for how long? If they are seriously affected and unable to take calls where do the calls go to?

"This is important as if a person is in an emergency they want to know that their call will be answered.

"It is good to have some focus on the individual user end - but the battery provision is too short term for a major power outage as people will be left without a service including mobile phone batteries.

"Some greater attention to 'three sides' in the provision of Telecare seems needed i.e. the Telecare provider, the user and the telephone/ISP involved, and the coordination should be led by the relevant Argyll and Bute Council/HSCP agencies with input from third sector providers and medical practitioners."

Ms O'Reilly said they also had concerns about the switch-off in 2025 of the long wave signal, which enables electricity "white meters". These provide a "charge" function in areas with no mains gas or electric heating.

The BBC is switching this off in June but thousands of meters are yet to be changed over.

She added: "This is an urgent issue and one that the council and HSCP should be engaged with as these meters were often put into properties with elderly and vulnerable people as a way of being able to boost heating during the day based on the cheaper night rate."

Earlier this year, Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership won recognition for their Telecare Team as they work towards digital solutions.

They told the Advertiser as of this week, 60 per cent of their clients are now using digital services.

Jayne Burnett, manager of the charity Visiting Friends, who was also at the meeting last week, said: “I hope the roll out will consider the role of third sector organisations like Visiting Friends.

"Many of our clients are already disadvantaged by the digital world and many don’t own even own a mobile phone.

"We hope that the process will involve supporting organisations like Visiting Friends with information to help our clients with clear instructions on where and how to seek help with the switchover if they have any concerns before and after it happens."