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Healthwatch Coventry undertook research into people’s views of digitalisation of health care following their research for the Long Term Plan. This report concerns the findings of a focus group of parents of children/young people with Special Educational Needs (SEND).

Eight people participated the focus group on Tuesday 28 January 2020. They were women with sons and daughters who were children or young adults and who had a wide range of experience of local NHS and social care services.

The participants identified the services that communicate best which were GP, ophthalmologist, educational psychologist, audiologist, and community paediatrician and speech and language specialists. The services which participants had a mix of experiences included Occupational Therapy, educational psychologist, and physio.

Participants had a wide range of concerns about the use of technology in health services, including security, access, accuracy of records, the value of face to face and poor health care IT systems that didn’t speak to each other.  They also felt that the use of technology had a wide range of benefits, including that people who don’t want to leave the house can access health services, the use of video links for multi-disciplinary meetings and providing information about waiting times.

Participants agreed a list of guiding principles for the use of technology in healthcare.  These included: opting in rather than digital by default, flexibility, choice of communication method, choice over the security processes used, alerts when the information changes, right to change incorrect information and a clear recognition of who is managing a patient’s care.

Participants mentioned having had many appointments which could have been delivered by technology and how appointments could be delivered in a different way.

Overall the group was positive about the use of technology and the experiences and comments they have can be used to help identify how to go about this.

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20200312_Coventry_Views of parents of children with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) about the use of technology in the NHS.pdf