Community Insights on digital inclusion
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Healthwatch Tower Hamlets undertook a survey of people in December 2019 to find out whether they’d consider using online tools to access NHS services. 240 people responded. They compared this data with a survey of local people about whether they’d accessed NHS services online during the first three months of the Covid-19 pandemic. 354 people responded to this survey.
The 2019 survey found that over two thirds of people would consider using an NHS app to access NHS services. The 2020 survey found that some people had used online services to access healthcare. The groups of people most likely to say that they would use NHS services online in 2019 were similar to those who used them in 2020 ie in work, middle class, aged under 50 and parents.
The report also looks at digital exclusion – in 2019, 38% were digitally excluded, compared to 14% in 2020. Compared to other participants, they were more likely to be from a minority ethnic community, older, in poor health or disabled, and less likely to be working or financially secure.
Digitally excluded people relied on TV news and on friends and family members to stay informed about Covid-19. Older people's charities and ethnicity-based local charities reached out to digitally excluded older people to offer practical support and befriending. People who needed medical advice and could not use the 111 online service faced long waits when using the telephone service.
In December 2019, opinions of GP services were mixed; while hospital services, psychotherapists, and social services supporting recovering addicts and the homeless were positive. People from BAME backgrounds and those with complex healthcare needs were less likely to have a positive experience with services and to find them accessible.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, multiple services, including GP surgeries, hospital consultants and psychotherapists have started providing more services remotely (online or via phone). In some cases, the change has been welcome, but the scope of what is doable remotely is limited. Patients waiting for routine dental treatment, elective procedures or consultant-led outpatient treatment have experienced delays and cancellations because of Covid-19. Mental health patients are also affected.
The report contains 3 recommendations about including digital exclusion on patient records, support for digitally excluded people from social prescribers and improving record sharing between providers.