How the JCB Tough Phone E10 ended a cycle of broken devices and dead batteries across five care homes

The Customer

The JCB Tough Phones client is a family-owned group of five purpose-built private residential and nursing care homes across Surrey and Hampshire. Caring since 1981, the group combines luxury living with 24-hour nursing, residential, dementia and respite care for the elderly, and consistently staffs above industry-standard ratios.

Recent recognition includes Top 20 Care Home in South East England (2024), Care Home of the Year at the Surrey Care Awards 2025, Residential Home of the Year at the Hampshire Care Awards 2025, and inclusion in Knight Frank's Luxury Care Home Guide 2026.

Behind the scenes, that level of care relies on something less glamorous but no less critical: maintenance teams and carers who can be reached, anytime, across a multi-site operation.

The Challenge

Maintenance teams and carers were going through phones at an unsustainable rate.

Damage rates were high. Devices were taking real-world punishment across five sites and constantly needing repair or replacement. Each broken phone meant downtime, repair costs and another device pulled from circulation.

Batteries weren't lasting a full shift. For teams covering long shifts across large care home sites, a phone that needed charging mid-shift was a phone that couldn't be relied on for the work it was meant to support.

The combined effect was a steady, low-level drain — multiple repairs, ongoing replacement costs, and devices that weren't fit for the environment they were being asked to operate in.

Why JCB

The care sector client didn't switch on a hunch. They ran a structured trial.

Two JCB Tough Phone E10 devices went out first. After seeing how they performed, the trial was extended to a further seven — nine devices in total in a formal pilot across the operation.

The results were clear:

"The devices were operationally far superior to what we had previously. They were covering multiple shifts and the products were withstanding the harsh environments. Most important were the batteries lasting long shifts, and they didn't get damaged in the harsh conditions."

Once the trial confirmed the phones could handle the workload, the care homes rolled them out at scale.

The Solution at Scale

The care homes now operate multiple JCB Tough Phone E10 devices across the maintenance teams and care staff.

The impact on the original problems has been emphatic:

"Since getting these devices we have had no breakages. Devices are lasting incredibly well during long shifts — and longer than we need. There's plenty of battery left after doing a full shift."

A device that lasts a full shift with battery to spare, and that doesn't break in the process, is a fundamentally different proposition to the one the care homes were managing before.

Unexpected Benefits

Beyond solving the two original problems, the rollout has opened up new capability — most notably push-to-talk, giving the team a faster, simpler way for teams to communicate across sites and shifts than they had before.

Support

We rate the JCB Tough Phone team highly on responsiveness — particularly during the specification stage, making sure each role within the business was matched to the right device for the way it was being used.

"Very responsive. They ensured we had the right devices for the users we have within the business. Support is there as needed."

Since deployment, no issues have arisen that have required escalation.

Future Plans

The relationship is set up to grow with the business.

"As we expand, we will bring in more devices."

The Verdict

Asked whether he'd recommend the JCB Tough Phone E10 to other organisations facing similar challenges, the answer was unequivocal:

"Yes. The products are exemplary, as is the support the team provide."

His advice to anyone considering a switch:

"Don't hesitate to trial them and buy them, as we did."

This JCB Client is a family-owned group of five award-winning care homes across Surrey and Hampshire, caring since 1981. The JCB Tough Phone E10 is a rugged smartphone built for demanding working environments, with all-day battery life and push-to-talk capability.