TECHNOLOGY AND SOFTWARE
Keeping Pace with Digital
Kathy Roberts is Chief Executive of Association of Mental Health Providers and Chair of the Care Provider Alliance. Speaking at a time when our digital reliance is more prevalent than ever, Kathy discusses why it is important for care providers to ensure staff and those they support have the skills and equipment to access online services.
The Association of Mental Health Providers has collaborated with
the NHS Confederation’s Mental Health Network to produce a digital inclusion guide that provides practical tips for mental health providers, both VCSE and NHS, to make their digital mental health services more inclusive.
COVID-19, the impact of lockdown, and social distancing measures since March 2020 have resulted in the use of remote methods for delivering mental health care and support. Digital mental health services have rapidly accelerated to make sure individuals who need services continue to access the support they need, when they need it. However, in an increasingly digital world, anyone not engaging via the internet is at risk of being leſt behind and further isolated.
A 2020 Office of National Statistics study showed that 93% of adults in Great Britain used the internet at least weekly, with 89% of adults using the internet daily or almost daily, up from only 35% in 2016. Children and young people are also growing up in a digital world; a 2019 Ofcom study found that 83% of 12 to 15-year-olds own a smartphone, up from 70% in 2015.
In the same study, 9% of individuals shared they had not accessed the internet in the last three months, amounting to 5.3 million adults. Age and vulnerability are significant factors with data showing that 77% of over 70s have very low digital engagement and 44% of those offline are under the age of 60.
Alongside internet usage, the importance of digital skills – the ability to be able to navigate and effectively engage in an increasingly digital world must not be underestimated, and it cannot be assumed that these skills are universally owned. In the UK Consumer Digital Index 2020, an estimated 9 million (16%) are unable to use the internet and their devices independently.
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Mental health and learning disability services in England – from psychological therapies through to dementia services – have all traditionally been delivered face-to-face. However, the impact of the pandemic has meant that most services are increasingly being delivered online or via the telephone.
The need to keep pace with this digital transformation within mental health services has been a significant challenge for both the mental health workforce and people who access those services. The nationwide rapid adoption of digital in mental health and learning disability services has enabled a considerable amount of experience and learnings to be gathered in a condensed period of time. However, while this rapid adoption has highlighted the many benefits of digital, it has also helped to unearth areas of operational and clinical processes that can contribute to individuals being excluded from accessing digital services.
Supporting people to have the skills and confidence they need to navigate digital services is an essential role for social care providers, particularly during this pandemic. How care and support services are delivered as part of care pathways is only one part of digital’s role within healthcare. Digital can also be used as a way of improving how information is stored and shared between different parts of the healthcare system. Digital inclusion is more than ensuring laptops or tablets are available for people but is also about providing the skills to use technology, having access to the internet, and making sure the technology is accessible. Association of Mental Health Providers developed this guide to support mental health providers evaluate where they are now in terms of digital inclusivity and set out practical steps for improvement, based on existing good practice and ideas from those who provide and access services.
www.tomorrowscare.co.uk
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