A pilot Digital Support Service has been developed in Haringey to help better understand how patients can be supported to access digital NHS services and help inform future commissioning.

Quality seminars held in June 2019 highlighted Haringey GP practices were using a total triage system and those with no digital means or skills faced a barrier when making and accessing appointments. This cohort of patients were termed ‘digital excluded’.

A subsequent piece of work demonstrated this was happening across the whole system (primary care, secondary care and community health services). An integrated approach has been used to respond to this digital inequality and was co-produced by NMUH, BEH Mental Health Trust, Whittington Health, Haringey primary care clinical leads, Digital First, Haringey council colleagues and Public Voice.

Public Voice (Healthwatch Haringey) has subsequently been commissioned by Haringey directorate to deliver a project to enable patients to access digital NHS health and care services. It has recruited a pool of volunteers trained to support patients remotely and in-person to use digital systems/platforms such as AccuRx and AttendAnywhere, which enable patients to have video consultations with allied health care professionals where clinically appropriate.