Nuneaton and Bedworth Primary Care Network (PCN) have partnered with the Coventry and Warwickshire Cooperative Development Agency (CWCDA) to support the local community across Warwickshire North. The Connect & Learn drop-in sessions focus on building the confidence and computer skills of attendees required to get online. Enabling the use of the internet and email safety, with access to all online services. Visitors to the weekly sessions have been able to learn about accessing NHS online services, shopping, booking travel, video calling and completing online form applications.
The PCN Digital and Transformation Team (Becky Cuttiford and Brad Hough) have worked closely with the CEO of the CWCDA (Mandy Bygrave) using local and national data insights, including health & inequalities and NHS online services usage information to determine locations for the sessions around Warwickshire North, to support digital inclusion. Since February 2024 Mandy and the CWCDA team have successfully ran weekly Connect & Learn programme in over 11 locations across the Warwickshire North! With the PCN and Mandy’s team working closely together to make sure visitors to sessions can access all NHS online services available to them. For those needing access to mobile data CWCDA and the PCN have worked together to ensure funding for the supply of free data sim cards. Mandy and the team have even been known to frequent practice waiting rooms to support our patients and answer any questions!
Keen to ensure all our colleagues and system partners are aligned, the Digital and Transformation team have been busy visiting each of the 15 practices within the Network. During these workshops they have been promoting the free Connect & Learn sessions with all Front of Practice and Clinical staff. Each practice is now equipped with a desktop ‘Digital Inclusion Pack’; a quick find guide that includes all key information on digital enablement, how to onboard patients to the NHS App, frequently asked questions and how to provide proxy access. There is even a referral form that can be sent directly to the CWCDA team should a patient request specific online training.
Our PCN mission is to support our community with the skills and tools needed to provide equitable access to healthcare, removing the digital blockers whilst promoting health equalities. We continue to strengthen our support offering collaborating with the newly appointed Coventry & Warwickshire Digital Champions, with an ambition to extend our reach to all communities across our 15 member practices. Becky from the PCN was thrilled to have implemented this initiative, highlighting: “There have been real benefits to this project, working with the CWCDA team has enabled a highly skilled and approachable team to support our community. Being the virtual front door to patient access into general practice and NHS services. It has been great to collaborate with Mandy at the CWCDA directly, and we continue to see how this project is directly benefitting our patients and wider community”.
Feedback from the sessions has been really positive, and the PCN is seeing the increase in the patient utilisation of NHS online service. Since March 2024 there has been a 10% increase in NHS App registration and utilisation across Nuneaton & Bedworth member practices.
