Unlocking the digital front door - keys to inclusive healthcare

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This report explores how the move to remote service models impacted people and how the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector (VCSE) has led innovative ways to deliver healthcare and support people during the COVID 19 pandemic.

The VSCE sector all over the country has played a huge role in meeting local community need over the last year. Many organisations have rapidly developed new partnerships and found creative ways to meet new needs and keep people well. Through our research we have found many inspiring examples of local innovations.

The COVID-19 pandemic meant that access to health services changed significantly, with many services switching to remote access. Through our listening exercise we explored people’s experience of this rapid shift. We particularly wanted to understand how this impacted on communities who might be digitally excluded and how these barriers might be addressed.

We have learned that new remote ways of delivering care work for many people and issues, but that they also have made exclusion worse for many others and that digital exclusion layers on top of existing inequalities and as such contributes to the inverse care law.

We need to do remote care well and this report explores how some organisations are doing this but also asks how we can support inclusion and flexibility further.

Also find available on this page:

• a literature review and insight data, derived from interviews with people at risk of exclusion.

• personal narratives - people's experiences of digital, COVID, exclusion and innovation.

• a call to action, which brings together the insight and practice of our members, and the learning from our widespread engagement and insight work. This includes recommendations for better practice, better policy, and better innovations.

• a poster/leaflet that explains to people what they can expect when using services now. This poster has been endorsed by the RCGP, RCP, Healthwatch England and many of our members. 

For more information email info@nationalvoices.org.uk.