Helping people in your care access digital technologies
Digital inclusion can improve the opportunities, experiences, and outcomes for people accessing care. It enables clients to take better control of their care plan, making informed choices about how to live their lives in a way that suit their needs.
For care services, digital inclusion means better delivery of care. Involving the client in their care plan ensures that decisions are being made from a person-centred approach. Digital inclusion also means that staff can spend less time on administrative tasks and more time looking after the people they care for. Other benefits of digital inclusion include:
- Reduction in loneliness and isolation
- Client at the centre of care
- Easier ways to engage and access other professional services
- Business support i.e. e-rostering/analytics
- Self-management of longer term conditions
Research into essential digital skills tells us that 32% of people with an impairment do not have the most basic digital skills. Accessibility is about making sure that your services can be utilised by as many people as possible, and for social care this is really important as vulnerable people will be utilising care services. They might need additional support with accessing the digital environment and there are some things you can do to check and improve accessibility:
- Develop your understanding of digital accessibility.
- See UK guidance on making your service accessible.
- Utilise the WAVE web accessibility tool or the Experte web accessibility tool to check your webpages.
- Utilise web accessibility guidelines if you are developing online content.
The National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTi) have also developed a handy top tips guide for people working in health and care services. The guide supports professionals to make sure that people with disabilities do not get left behind as services transition digitally. The guide features 8 tips and has been developed in partnership with people with lived experiences.
It covers:
Assessing the needs of the people using your services by finding out what technology they already use, what they would like to be able to use, and what help they might need to use it.
- Designing systems that work well for your clients instead of just focussing on designing systems that work well for your business.
- Don’t make assumptions on what technology people can and can’t use. Ask clients questions so you can develop the right kind of support.
- Refer people who use your services to other professionals in the community that could help with things such as digital skills training.
- Build confidence in client’s by supporting them to get online. Raise awareness on cyber crime and enable them to access support.
- Support and train care staff to help introduce people to digital technologies.
- Make your website accessible through easy read and give clients instructions on how to use it.
- Continue with face to face conversations and remember that nobody wants to be using the internet all the time.
Further information
- 16th November – 16th December is Disability History Month.
- Download the NDTi top tips resource.
Photo by Firmbee.com on Unsplash