Digital Exclusion Report 2021

Healthwatch Lewisham engaged with people more likely to be digitally excluded to gain a better understanding of how this might impact their experience with health and care services. They spoke with older people, people with English as their second language, and people with disabilities and found that:

• Digital exclusion can be the result of a variety of factors, including affordability and limited accessibility because of disabilities, lack of support and language barriers.
• People’s access to health and social care were mixed - some found remote GP consultations to be beneficial and were understanding of the need to shift to these digital care methods whilst the pandemic spread rapidly. Others were unhappy with the quality of care and treatment received using remote consultations and didn’t feel confident with the diagnosis and/or the treatment plan.
• All the participants advocated for a return to face-to-face appointments.
• Numerous participants highlighted the challenges they faced when trying to get through on the telephone.
• Waiting times for appointments were undesirable with some people not being able to receive appointments for over two weeks, which echoes similar experiences prior to the pandemic.
• Some residents experienced multiple barriers when trying to access health care support (affordability, lack of IT skills, and language barriers) which caused high levels of stress and anxiety.

Through their engagement, it is evident that most participants preferred face-to-face appointments as they value them more than the digital approach. Services must ensure that they deliver a hybrid approach of in-person and remote consultations which meets the needs of the local population.