Building digital skills and reducing health inequalities for the Nepalese community

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw how the accelerated shift to online and telephone appointments, while helpful for many, left others struggling to access the care they needed.

We know from our previous work on digital exclusion that those most negatively affected by poor digital skills and access to technology are often the most vulnerable in our society: older people, disabled people, people on low incomes and those whose first language isn’t English.

Isolated, lonely and unable to access services

As health and social care providers moved online, Healthwatch Kent heard from people struggling to access services due to a lack of digital skills and awareness. People faced problems accessing GPs and social housing providers, but these challenges extended to dentists, hospitals and pharmacy services too.

People told Healthwatch that they lacked the skills to communicate with friends and family online, increasing their feelings of loneliness during a time of isolation.

"I would like some help making a complaint about my GP surgery. I do not have access to the internet."

Digital Learner

Healthwatch Kent identified that predominantly older people were digitally excluded. Community partners Kent Coast Volunteering shared what they had found on this issue, which showed that older people in the Nepalese community in Folkestone, in particular, had significant problems accessing care due to digital exclusion.

Several people said that they didn't have access to the internet, and/or didn't know how to make an appointment with a GP online.

Building a network of digital champions

To help tackle this issue, Healthwatch Kent worked with their Nepalese community, Kent Coast Volunteering and Folkestone and Hythe District Council.

Together they trained young people from the Nepalese community as digital champions. These young people then supported older members of the community to get online, building their confidence and enabling them to access health and care services.

This project has become a crucial part of the new Nepalese Community Centre, including a digital training room for the community. 

As a result, more people from the Nepalese community can now: 

• Book a GP appointment online
• Use eConsult
• Manage hospital appointments online
• Access social care services online
• Use online banking service
• Access e-learning/digital education to further their skills

Users of this service now say that their mental wellbeing has improved, and that the programme has given them skills to manage their health, care, and day-to-day life. 

Aasha didn't know how to turn on a computer or use a mouse. She couldn't access health and social care services, order food shopping, or connect with friends and family online. During Covid, this left her feeling isolated. 

Now, Aasha uses GP eConsult services, is accessing social care support through the council's website, and stays connected with friends through Facebook.

Aasha told us that not only have her digital skills improved, but her confidence to engage with her wider community has increased too. She’s seen improvement in her social wellbeing and is feeling more positive about her mental health’

Thanks to this work, people in the Nepalese community in Kent feel more confident with their digital skills and, as a result, more integrated into their local community.