Publish date: 5 May 2023
Powering Recovery is a new project supporting people to access healthcare and appointments digitally, as well as providing transferrable digital skills to other parts of their lives.
The project is part of Ealing Community Partners (ECP) and aims to tackle health and digital inequalities, by providing short and long-term digital devices on loan, including smartphones and tablets.
This is combined with personalised 1-1 support for patients to focus on their goals and achieve skills such as booking GP appointments, accessing healthcare appointments and requesting prescriptions online. Staff are on hand to support patients to digitally empower their wellbeing and lifestyle. So far, we have had 17 graduates, 44 patients supported and over 10,000 minutes in interactions. We have also had 26 workshops for the programme.
Feedback from a client taking part:
“The person who helped me was friendly and showed me additional tips and advice on how to use shortcuts and useful apps. Without the tablet I wouldn't have been able to participate with the clinician online and other participants”.
“It's made a huge difference for me. I think it’s fantastic that my local NHS Trust now has a health inclusion team and that you do home visits. It’s a great example of accessibility. Keep up the good work”.
A dementia concern patient has fedback that the “the explanation and communication was excellent! You helped me navigate through App Store to use my email app and downloading apps, like Google Earth. I'm now doing Sudoku and reading the newspaper on my iPad daily”.
During the pandemic the uptake of digital consultations was widespread, but feedback suggests some people were left behind and health inequalities linked to ethnicity and poverty only increased.
The project helps tackle this digital divide, supporting patients to access digital consultations and other ways these patients can be supported.
Katerina Manginas, Healthier Lifestyle Service Lead involved in the project, says:
“This is a brilliant service that provides 1-1 and workshops to empower patients to become confident with their digital skills. With the provision of devices as well as sim cards for internet access, it is a great example of improving digital inclusion within the borough”.
“The project has been funded by the West London NHS Charity and we have also partnered with the third sector including Dementia Concern, Mind in Ealing and Ealing Community and voluntary sector. We are actively working with them to uncover those patients who require additional technological support to benefit their health”.
A spokesperson from MIND says:
“The feedback from clients has been very positive and the programme is very beneficial to their lives.
“The sessions have helped them navigate their technology at home, The service is very engaging to those who wouldn't join other groups or sessions.”
West London is testing new intelligence to develop new models of delivery and are committed to digital inclusion as an integral part of health, care and wellbeing strategies. The aim is to provide greater choice for patients in the future, being able to choose between traditional interventions or digitally enabled ones.
For any further details please email: wlm-tr.poweringrecovery@nhs.net