From door knocks to digital: Sutton's award-winning housing transformation

0​6 May 2026

Sutton Housing Partnership has won the Service Transformation Award at the TSA Technology Enabled Care Awards 2026, recognised for rolling out Technology Enabled Care across the borough to fundamentally change how people are supported to live independently at home.

The recognition comes at a critical moment: with analogue telephone lines confirmed for closure by the end of January 2027, the window for compliant digital transition is narrowing fast. The recent TSA member survey estimates that fewer than 20% of social housing schemes are currently digital ready. Sutton has taken a fundamentally different approach, using the switchover as an opportunity to build an insight-led, proactive model of care from the ground up.

The council, working in partnership with The Access Group and Medequip Connect, is overhauling care delivery across 22 independent living sites, reaching more than 500 residents.

Anna Saunders, Director of Commissioning at London Borough of Sutton, said: "We are thrilled to have won this award, which recognises that we are leading the way in using digital technology to improve the lives of people in Sutton. Our partnership approach has been key to this, and I want to congratulate The Access Group, Medequip Connect and all the staff at Sutton Council who have worked together to make it happen."

From door knocks to digital

Previously, Independent Living Officers (ILO) were carrying out weekly physical welfare checks across Sutton Housing Partnership’s sites. The new model uses passive digital monitoring through Access Assure - an AI-powered Technology Enabled Care platform to transform the service delivery model.

Access Assure sensors monitor daily activity patterns - door openings, kettle use, movement - learning individual routines over 30 days and alerting staff only when something changes. If a resident who always makes tea at 9am does not do so, the system flags a welfare check. No cameras are used. Residents retain full privacy and autonomy.

These insights are used by Medequip Connect’s local responder service to prioritise proactive outbound wellbeing calls, without the need for intrusive door-knocking.

The approach was built on comprehensive benefits modelling from the outset, mapping care trajectories from prevention through to residential placement. Sutton identified that waiting until crisis point was driving unsustainable demand on its adult social care budget and set out to interrupt that pattern earlier.

Measurable outcomes

The results are significant. Borough-wide, 45.8% of people supported by TEC have lived at home longer than would otherwise have been possible. Half - 50.4% - were prevented from requiring residential placement, and 18.5% avoided homecare packages entirely.

In 2024, 660 ambulance callouts were avoided through Medequip Connect’s 45-minute responder service linked to NHS Urgent Community Response.

The CQC specifically commended Sutton's approach to Technology Enabled Care in its November 2025 'Good' rating, noting the council "used technology to help people stay safe at home and avoid unnecessary admissions to care." The CQC also noted Sutton’s award-winning approach to TEC following on from the Local Government Chronicle 2025 Digital Impact Awards where judges described it as "a whole system approach that will clearly save lives" and added simply: "Everyone should have this."

Resident experience at the centre

The project engaged residents directly before installation. At Milton House, residents asked hard questions about privacy, data security and necessity. Staff explained NHS-standard data security, role-based access controls, and exactly what the sensors detect versus what they do not. That transparency built trust.

Senior Social Worker Natalie Read described the impact on assessments: "The Access Assure Technology Enabled Care data was critical in triangulating what the resident was reporting. It allowed us to challenge assumptions. Without this data to amplify the resident's voice, he likely would have received a far more restrictive care package that was not truly person-centred."

Resident Faye captured the broader shift: "The one day when you're not feeling well enough to call, that might be the day when they call you."

Andy Sparkes, General Manager for Local Government and Technology Enabled Care at Access Health, Support and Care, said:

"We are proud to see London Borough of Sutton recognised at this level. They have shown what is possible when a council commits fully to proactive, preventative care - not as a pilot, but as a whole-system change embedded across housing, social care and health pathways. Using Access Assure, they have transformed the daily experience of hundreds of residents, giving people genuine independence alongside genuine safety. This recognition is thoroughly deserved, and it is exactly the kind of service innovation the sector needs."

Setting a national standard

Sutton's transformation addressed the forthcoming analogue switchover, positioning the borough as an early mover on digital infrastructure.

Over 200 practitioners across social care, reablement and hospital discharge teams received training - not just on the technology, but on assessment skills to identify TEC opportunities and how to engage residents and families in the conversation.

Anna Saunders, Director of Commissioning at London Borough of Sutton, added:“It’s great to see the Council’s innovative approach to digital technology and service delivery being recognised on the national stage. I would like to thank the Digital Team and all staff and partners involved for leading the way in improving public services.”

The TSA ITEC Awards ceremony took place on 16 March 2026 at the ICC, Birmingham, as part of the TSA's annual conference.