Digital Health Devon
Our most recent project is a partnership of organisations offering free digital training in Devon to show people how to use the internet to access local health, social care and wellbeing services (such as online appointment booking systems or how to order a prescription using the internet).
The Digital Health Devon partnership grew from a ‘digital inclusion’ pilot project run in 2018 by Healthwatch Torbay and funded by Ageing Well Torbay and the Big Lottery Fund. It consisted of:
- Nearly 300 hundred people trained via public ‘digital drop in’ sessions held at various public venues, including GP Practices, libraries and community centres.
- 600+ training booklets distributed out into the community.
- Over seven hundred unique visits to the online version of the training – which included ‘how-to’ video guides and step by step screenshot guides.
In response to the pilot project’s impact, it won a national ‘Highly Commended’ award in the ‘Giving people the advice and information they need’ category at the 2018 National Healthwatch Excellence Awards.
Following a successful bid for European Regional Development Funding in 2019 and support from the NHS in Devon, Digital Health Devon expanded this pilot project to incorporate the wider Devon area, hosting digital ‘drop in’ sessions at GP Practices and select community venues.
We also redeveloped the training section into a tool which offers people the chance to complete a free online training course in their own time, from the comfort of their own device and become a community ‘Digital Health Devon’ Champion. This is available by visiting www.digitalhealthdevon.co.uk and registering.
The current six modules available to complete are: Internet Access and Email; Online GP Services; Online self – referral services; How to provide your feedback or make a complaint; How to access useful online resources and Finance, Debts & Benefits.
Anyone completing a module section is awarded a downloadable ‘Digital Health Devon’ certificate.
Those working for a frontline organisation and sharing the training with clients achieve Digital ‘Champion’ status, with a special certificate and window sticker kite mark.
Digital Health Devon have offered free online training to anyone interested in knowing more about how to access local health, social care and wellbeing services using the internet. This includes employees and volunteers at any organisation (including the 137 Devon GP Practices) that supports the public. So far we have:
- Swiftly developed the Digital Health Devon brand and created a suite of branded marketing, project material, training guides and digital platforms for use by citizens, nurse students, trainers and providers for educational purposes in a variety of accessible formats.
- Built a network of community trainers across the county, including a unique cohort of nursing, healthcare and midwifery students at Plymouth University, who have been supporting Digital Drop In Sessions at GP Practices and selected community venues throughout Devon.
- Supported or hosted 127 digital drop in sessions throughout the county for local residents and clients.
- Over 200 registered users on the Digital Health Devon website, who have completed over 500 modules. Many of these are frontline workers from GP Practices and community organisations who have been extensively sharing the training with the public. According to initial feedback survey data, we are expecting the training to be shared with over 6,000 people in Devon.
For more information please email info@digitalhealthdevon.co.uk or call free on 08000 520 029.