NHS England commitments A significant increase in the use of - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Digital skills to widen participation and increase health literacy Bob Gann, Programme Director, Widening Digital Participation, NHS England

NHS England commitments A significant increase in the use of technology to help people to manage their own health and care An NHS for everyone regardless of income, gender, location, age, ethnicity or any other characteristic

Who’s online? • 13% of population (7m people) have never used the internet • And 11m people lack basic digital skills • Most are older and/or have disabilities • But older people are the fastest growing group getting online ONS Internet Access Quarterly Update Q1 2014

Digitally excluded make most use of NHS & experience One in six people are over 65. People over 65 account for greatest health inequality more than half of all NHS spend, & are least likely to be online Travellers and transient populations Those who Those who are physically don’t have One in four people have a long and socially English as 1 st isolated language term condition or disability . Those out of work Long term conditions account Those in old Those who age are disabled for 70% of all NHS spend. Those living in rural and People with LTCs & disabilities remote areas are three times more likely never to have used the internet

Digital health literacy & health inequalities • Half the population lack literacy & numeracy skills to use health information effectively • Information & services are increasingly digital - digital skills are increasingly essential to health literacy • Low health literacy closely linked to poorer health outcomes & mortality Bostock,s & Steptoe, Association between low functional health literacy & mortality in older adults. British Medical Journal 2012; 344

Widening Digital Participation Programme Reducing inequalities: training citizens in basic online skills to boost health literacy

Contract with Tinder Foundation Online training Digital health information training programme in basic network in 175 digital skills for centres – public health libraries, community centres, primary care, care homes Digital health events & marketing campaign

Performance in 2013-14

Digital health flagships Innovative approaches working in local communities including: • Bromley-by-Bow Healthy Living Centre – social prescribing • Southampton Libraries – working with cancer support groups • e-Learning in Leicester – digital skills for Asian community • Mayfair Centre in Shropshire – rural communities • Inspire in Hull – social isolation & mental health • Heeley Trust in Sheffield – GP practices • Breezie – easy to use tablet for older people • 68 York Street, Leeds – working with homeless

Celebrating community achievement 68 York Street, Leeds won NHS Excellence in Participation Award Mayfair Centre, Shropshire won GSK/ Kings Fund Impact Award Cooke e-Learning, Leicester showcased on YouTube

• Putting people in charge of their own health • Harnessing new, transformational technologies • Exploiting the potential of transparent data

Improving digital literacy can have a significant impact on: • Maintaining & improving patient experience • Enhancing quality of life for people with long term conditions • Tackling the dementia challenge • Improving access & quality of care for less advantaged groups • Addressing health inequalities through partnership working

Tackling inequalities: reducing isolation & loneliness Social isolation & loneliness is a public health challenge. Helping older people get online enables them to keep in touch with family & friends

Tackling inequalities: improving access & reducing stigma People with some conditions & from some groups in society can face stigma when accessing services. Online access can be more anonymous and less embarrassing �

Tackling inequalities: improving self reliance & reducing dependency Developing digital skills, including through social prescribing, can increase health literacy & empowerment, and reduce dependence on health professionals

Evaluation findings • 76% of people trained now feel more confident managing their health using online tools • 18% of people trained now feel more self reliant and have reduced their use of the NHS “ Doing the digital skills health course has given me the confidence to register online with my local GP surgery, to make appointments online, to check what medicine I'm on and when it’s due for renewal... Before this, I’d have needed to travel to the doctors and stood in a queue just to make an appointment. With this it’s just ‘click’ and it’s done. It’s fantastic.”

Thank you Please contact me if you would like to know more: Email bob.gann@nhs.net Twitter Bob_Gann