A pilot project launched at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust is utilising technology to support digital access for kidney patients, helping them to get online and find health information, with an aim to improve their confidence and skills in using digital tools.
The launch provides a patient hub hosting information on home therapies, inpatient care, health information and advice for those living with kidney disease.
The project, launched within the renal unit of Sunderland Royal Hospital, has so far seen four patients given a tablet to take home, thanks to funding secured by Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria (HI NENC). Tablets are also available within the unit for patients undergoing treatment, which the trust says will allow them to “read up on information to help keep them well”.
Leanne Maitland, digital transformation project support officer for HI NENC, shared that the project is part of “a broader vision to create a regional public sector digital hub in the North East and North Cumbria”, adding that without access to “digital essentials”, patients and vulnerable individuals “risk getting left behind, worsening health inequalities”.
Wider trend: digital access across the NHS
Digital access was one of the key topics highlighted by the CQC’s October report on the state of health and adult social care in England for 2023/24. Findings from targeted assessments of over 250 GP practices showed those exhibiting “innovative or outstanding practice” were focused on either improving outreach to patients or improving the availability and accessibility of appointments, introducing tech to tackle known issues, improving online accessibility options, and utilising new systems for booking appointments and online consultations.
In November, Black Country ICB shared how its digital first primary care team led a GP website improvement programme, supporting all 171 GP practices in the Black Country to update their websites as part of efforts to improve accessibility and ensure that sites are user friendly. The ICB highlighted how the project saw an “extensive amount of research, design and development” to ensure that changes to the websites met user needs, with the team engaging with patient participation groups, people panels and GP/PCN events.
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICS also shared that it is in the early stages of creating a digital solution designed to offer citizens personalised support and enhance patient experience, and is seeking feedback on what that solution should look like. The ICS has expressed an intention to improve its understanding of what works well for patients now and what would improve their experience, stating that the gathered feedback will “help to shape how we improve digital access to healthcare in future”.
And NHS Kent and Medway’s five-year primary care strategy was published, with a focus on improving access through digital front doors, increased use of the NHS app, and digital appointment systems. It highlighted same day access hubs, online consultations, cloud telephony, care navigation and triage, and access to self-care, with key enablers including workforce, estates, digital technology, and communications.
