How can improving accessibility help close the digital divide for patients?

34% of NHS decision makers say it will take up to 10 years to close the digital divide in healthcare, according to our new report ‘Bridging the digital gap in UK healthcare.’*

Accessing the NHS app to order your repeat prescription. Setting up a webcam for a video consultation. Logging your symptoms through an online portal.

All these things require access to digital tools and a certain degree of digital expertise. Yet 21% of the population lack the basic skills required to use the internet.

The impact of this digital divide is being felt across the NHS, making it harder to get the most out of crucial investments in technology.

How can you ensure your health services reach all your patients?

Although our increasing use of technology is one factor influencing the digital divide, technology is also at the root of making healthcare more accessible.

The NHS App is a key example of this. By putting the services of a GP practice into the palm of people’s hands, it reduces the pressure on secondary healthcare (such as A&E departments) and makes accessing healthcare quicker and easier for patients – as long as they can download and use the app.

Uptake of the app has significantly increased from 2020 but there are still inequalities. In the most economically deprived practices registration is 25% less than the mean, according to the British Journal of General Practice.

Other solutions such as virtual consultations also help patients get closer to the care they need by providing a less stressful experience for people with learning difficulties or mental health problems, according to the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

But for innovations like these to reach the patients that need them, you’ll need to make sure your infrastructure is sufficiently set up to support them.

This could involve making simple changes such as ensuring your online services use scalable font and high-contrast colour modes, or more substantial investment in smart devices and connected equipment that can automate data collection and input for at-home patients.

Your tech and connectivity provider can help map out a framework to build your organisation towards success and should be able to suggest the level of managed service that is right for you.

This ensures your investment can be sustainable, whilst also providing your staff and patients with the resources they need.

However digitally mature your organisation is, building tech solutions with accessibility in mind will help make healthcare more efficient and effective for staff and patients alike.