How Cluttons helped a leading care home provider upgrade to fibre across 1,200 properties

One of the UK’s largest care home providers faced a significant challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic: a need to improve their connectivity so that residents could stay connected with family and friends at a critical time. 

The provider recognised the need to upgrade from copper to fibre across its large portfolio of over 1,200 properties, but the scale of the project was daunting.  

The property team was inundated with requests from internet service providers (ISPs) and alternative network providers (AltNets) to visit hundreds of properties at a time, straining their resources.  

Even after partnering with a single provider, each property required its own wayleave agreement and installation plan, including managing communications with residents about potential disruptions.  

To overcome these challenges, the care home provider turned to Cluttons, property experts in digital infrastructure, with established relationships with fibre providers. Cluttons’ team of surveyors and project managers worked closely with the chosen ISP to create a comprehensive plan for end-to-end management, including:  

• Access management plans  

• Route survey plans  

• Wayleave agreements  

• Asbestos registers  

• Survey reports  

• Route approval 

• Schedules of conditions, including pre-condition surveys  

• Site visits to ensure planned routes were viable 

• Installation management on site, checking for damage and managing communication with residents  

• Completion reports  

Cluttons also developed a digital tool to streamline communication between the ISP and the care home provider, reducing the risk of unsuccessful meetings and delays caused by miscommunication about access and routes.  

As a result of Cluttons’ careful planning and proactive approach, the care home provider was able to proceed with the connectivity upgrade smoothly, with minimal disruption to day-to-day property management and without impacting their own resources. The project’s success has enabled the provider’s residents to access better connectivity, enhancing their everyday lives and well-being and providing the provider with full fibre ahead of the copper switch-off which we believe gives them a competitive advantage.