What we learnt about digital inclusion in health settings

We've just finished a long running project that we started in lockdown. We worked with NHSE to create courses, resources and support structures for a Champions model helping people manage their health online. Our clients ranged from ICBs and GPs to church groups and wellness organisations. In figures, it involved....

• 7?new CPD accredited courses.
• 26 different projects, ranging from wellness groups to NHS ICBS, churches to GPs.??
• 369 Digital Champions?completed
• 2629 courses?helping..?
• 5,585 patient learners?– though we suspect the real figure is about 10-20% higher.?

We learnt a lot!?Which is really helpful as we continue to grow the programme and move it onto it's next stage.?Some of the most practical things we learnt include that:

• The biggest challenge is recruiting Champions.
• Drop-ins work best to get programmes going.
• Allowing time to plan is the most crucial element for success.
• But that projects are most like to get held-up by being over-ambitious – sometimes you just got to start small.
• Beneficiaries tend to have complex needs, with more than one barrier to entry.
• Although end goal is health-related, often starting with something else can really help: like video calls with friends before working video calls with doctors; like fixing the basic settings on their phones before using the NHS App.

You can read the full impact report and more on how we support digital inclusion programmes in health care settings on our website.