Locked out: Digitally excluded people's experiences of remote GP appointments
Has the move to digital healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic improved access for some people excluded others? We joined forces with four other local Healthwatch to find out.
Summary
People with low digital literacy face barriers in accessing healthcare remotely due to limited interest in technology, lack of digital skills, age and disability, lack of trust, language barriers, and affordability issues.
We wanted to see how this impacted peoples healthcare and how primary care should transition out of the pandemic to reduce barriers to access.
Key outcomes
- We found people can be digitally excluded for various reasons.
- Primary care staff want to retain the efficiency of remote care but they acknowledge that the total shift to remote methods had excluded some people.
- We found the need for investment in digital literacy and online access while emphasising the importance of maintaining face-to-face methods to ensure no one falls through the gaps.
Downloads
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File download
Digital Exclusion Report
More information on our digital exclusion research
