Help us understand people's experiences of digital healthcare

Could you help us make digital healthcare easier for everyone?

More NHS services are moving online. This can make it quicker and easier for many people to get information and support. But for some people, using digital healthcare can be difficult.

We want to hear from people who may face barriers when using digital services. This could include our mental health, community, children’s and sexual health services, as well as other NHS services such as GP and hospital services.

Who are we looking to hear from?

You do not need to be completely digitally excluded to take part.

We would like to hear from people who:

• Have limited digital skills or confidence.
• Find websites, apps or online forms difficult to use.
• Have limited access to a phone, computer or the internet.
• Struggle with internet access, signal or the cost of data.
• Have accessibility needs that make digital services harder to use.
• Find language or the way information is written a barrier.
• Prefer not to use digital services.
• Need help from family, friends or someone else to access healthcare online.

We are also keen to hear from family members, friends, community groups and organisations who know people who may want to share their experiences.

We would like to hear from as many people as possible before the engagement closes on the 30th November. 

How can I help?

The easiest way to get involved is to have an informal conversation with someone about their experiences.

You can ask about things such as:

• How they usually access healthcare information and support.
• How confident they feel using digital services.
• What works well and what is difficult.
• Whether they have ever given up when trying to do something online.
• What support or adjustments would help.
• Whether they know about other ways to access care.
• What one thing they would change about digital healthcare.

You do not need to ask every question. Use the prompts to help guide a natural conversation and let the person talk about what matters to them.

Conversation guide

View and download the Digital Inclusion Conversation Guide. [docx] 628KB

The guide includes suggested questions and prompts to help you have these conversations.

Want us to speak to a group?

If you know a group, community or organisation that would like to take part, we can also arrange specific engagement.

You can contact the Engagement Team at: whcnhs.communityengagement@nhs.net

You can use this email to:

• Send us feedback from a conversation.
• Tell us about a group or community we could speak to.
• Ask us to carry out specific engagement.
• Ask any questions about the project.

Why are we doing this?

We want to understand where people experience difficulties with digital healthcare and where they may need more support or different options. The review will help us identify barriers and make practical improvements to our digital services, while also strengthening non-digital ways to access care.

Your experience could help us make digital healthcare easier, fairer and more accessible for everyone.

Please get involved

Whether you want to share your own experience, speak to someone you know, connect us with a group or simply spread the word, your help can make a difference.