Breaking down digital barriers

The transformation of healthcare with digital technology has the potential to help improve access to services and reduce inequalities in health outcomes. However, many struggle to afford access to the internet, lack the skills to navigate new services, mistrust digital services or are not motivated to use them. This digital divide creates a growing risk of exclusion and can perpetuate inequalities.  

The 10 Year Health Plan for England: Fit for the Future recognises that moving healthcare closer to home is fundamental to building a more accessible and equitable NHS, so we’re exploring new partnerships to accelerate this work. We’re developing partnerships on the ‘high street’ and to reach communities in non-clinical settings. We’ve also recruited over 2,500 NHS frontline professionals as App Ambassadors nationwide, supporting uptake across the health system and local communities, with plans for further expansion.  

Our goal is to enable everyone to access digital health services, whilst without excluding face-to-face and telephone options. Digital exclusion particularly affects marginalised groups who experience multiple overlapping health risks including poverty, violence, and trauma. This includes people experiencing homelessness, drug and alcohol dependence, vulnerable migrants, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, sex workers, people in contact with the justice system and victims of modern slavery.   

Over the past year, we’ve partnered with 1,400 public libraries and community organisations across England, focusing on deprived communities and marginalised groups. This collaboration helps people use free library computers to learn the NHS website and set up the NHS App. We want all people to feel confident accessing their NHS services digitally through local libraries whilst working to reduce health inequalities.  

Following successful collaboration with the Good Things Foundation providing free mobile data for digitally excluded pregnant women, our expanded partnership now enables trusted NHS staff to give SIM cards directly to patients. Research from a pilot to support people from more deprived communities to use digital services, shows a £6.40 return for every pound invested to the NHS, through reducing GP and A&E visits.  

Inclusive design and development  

We’re committed to digital inclusion by design, ensuring our proactive approach includes individuals with lived experience of disabilities, underrepresented groups and deprived communities to prevent barriers when accessing NHS services. We design the NHS App and website to be highly accessible across devices, using our Accessibility Lab in Leeds and working with charities, like Scope, to design our services with and for people with disabilities and access challenges.  

Patient groups and community organisations are core development and testing partners for new website and NHS App functionality. Our user researchers continuously develop partnerships with organisations like RNIB, homeless charities and groups supporting asylum seekers. Whilst we are improving our data to understand how the NHS App, website and login are used by different groups and communities, to inform targeted efforts to understand and address barriers. 

We’re constantly improving digital health services to reduce healthcare access barriers. Blind and visually impaired people can use screen readers to manage their health proactively through the NHS App. Deaf people and those with learning disabilities are supported through British Sign Language and accessible content on the NHS website.  

NHS-wide compliance with the NHS service standard and accessibility legislation ensures all communities are included by design. Not all NHS App parts are currently accessible due to locally commissioned third-party services not built to standards. We’re changing our approach to accessibility standards to address this.  

Access to good healthcare requires high-quality, clinically assured information 

We’re reviewing all NHS website content to ensure accessibility for people with low literacy levels, meeting diverse needs across different backgrounds with accessible, relevant content enabling better understanding of health information.  

We’re exploring new technologies like AI to better serve diverse accessibility needs of NHS App users. For instance, we’ve been testing whether generative AI can develop high-quality British Sign Language multimedia content to increase available BSL content. It is not there yet, but as technologies quickly develop we are looking for opportunities to use them to drive up access to health care for people with barriers to gaining digital health benefits.  

We are evolving the NHS App to match the ambitions of the 10 Year Health Plan and become a personalised health companion that makes it easier for people to access the NHS – while making it easier for the NHS to care for patients. Bridging the digital divide is at the heart of that vision.