1. Widening digital participation:
assisted digital for health
Bob Gann
NHS Commissioning Board
March 2013

2. Assisted digital
• Providing physical access and/or support
to use digital channels those without
internet skills.
• Signposting to internet training for those
requiring digital skills e.g. via UK Online
Centres, libraries etc.
• Build on existing initiatives aimed at getting
people to use Digital Channels (e.g. GO
ON)
• Helping ensure that the development of
new services – designed to be Digital by
Default – are also accessible and usable
for service users.

3. NHS Commissioning Board Mandate
• “An NHS for everyone regardless of income, location,
age, gender, ethnicity or any other characteristic. Yet
across these groups there are still too many
longstanding and unjustifiable inequalities in access to
services, in quality of care and in health outcomes. The
NHS Commissioning Board has specific legal duties to
tackle health inequalities and advance equality”
• “The Board’s objective is to achieve a significant
increase in the use of technology to help people manage
their health and care”

4. Equality Impact Assessment:
most affected groups
The heaviest users of NHS
& those experiencing
greatest health inequalities
are least likely to be online
• 8m people have never
used the internet
• 5m people over 65 have
never been online. People
over 65 account for more
than half of all NHS spend
• 4 million disabled adults
have never been online.
People with disabilities are
three times more likely
never to have used the
internet than those without
disabilities.

5. Widening digital participation
Objective: To support 100,000 people who have not used the internet to get
Objective: To support 100,000 people who have not used the internet to get
online for health information & transactions
online for health information & transactions
Challenge
Challenge Scope of programme
Scope of programme
• • People who experience
People who experience Work with UK Online Centres to develop training and support in
Work with UK Online Centres to develop training and support in
greatest health inequalities are
greatest health inequalities are local communities. £1m funding secured for year 11(2013-14)
local communities. £1m funding secured for year (2013-14)
also least likely to be online
also least likely to be online
• •88million people have never
million people have never Deliverables
Deliverables
used internet
used internet • •25 local UK Online Centres
25 local UK Online Centres
• •Without support the digital
Without support the digital developed as digital health hubs
developed as digital health hubs
revolution will not reach
revolution will not reach • •10 new hubs in health care
10 new hubs in health care
significant numbers of older
significant numbers of older environments
environments
people, people with disabilities &
people, people with disabilities & • •Digital health learning package on
Digital health learning package on
other disadvantaged groups
other disadvantaged groups LearnMyWay.com
LearnMyWay.com
• •Online digital inclusion zone on NHS
Online digital inclusion zone on NHS
Choices
Choices
• •Digital marketing engine to track use
Digital marketing engine to track use
• •Evaluation at end of year 11
Evaluation at end of year
Next milestones
Next milestones
• •Funding to UK Online
Funding to UK Online
• •Steering Group
Steering Group
• •Identify sites
Identify sites
• •Initial learning package
Initial learning package
Case study: Norah | Digital Health

6. Working with community hubs in
deprived areas

7. Developing digital capability & literacy

8. Overcoming barriers to digital participation
Taken from Digital Britain Report (2009)