Digital inclusion · Team exercise
Build a digital inclusion pathway that works
Connect people with data, devices and skills support—and make sure a clear route and a named person carry the help through.
What you’ll have at the end
A one-page SOP, a staff prompt, a local referral route and measures that show whether people got the help they needed.
How to begin
- Start with the task someone is trying to complete, not a label. Ask what is getting in the way: a suitable device, enough data, confidence, accessibility, language, privacy or a safe place and time to get online. Ask with permission; do not guess from a person’s age, appearance or circumstances.
- Match support to the barrier. In my work partnering with Good Things Foundation, SIMs and devices helped address connectivity and equipment gaps. They were one part of the answer: check local eligibility and supply, and connect people to practical skills support and a local Digital Inclusion Hub where available.
- Write a short SOP before you start. Say who can spot a need, how to offer help without stigma, who makes the referral, what information is shared, who follows up, how long that should take, and what happens if no device or data is available. Record only what the team needs to deliver the agreed support.
- Bring the whole route into the room. Reception staff can offer a simple prompt and signpost; social prescribers and health and wellbeing coaches can help people connect with community support; care coordinators and clinicians can make sure the help fits the person’s wider needs. Name a lead and give each role a clear handoff.
- Train with a real example, not a slide deck alone. In a short team huddle, practise how to ask, explain the local referral route, arrange a warm handover and respond if the first option does not work. Be clear about boundaries: staff should not ask for or keep a patient’s passwords.
- Offer help at the point it matters. If someone needs to use an online service, agree a safe next step: supported practice, a call from the right person, or a referral to a local hub. Check that the person can complete the task they chose, rather than treating a device handout as the finish line.
- Keep a usable alternative available. A digital route should add a way to get help, not become a test people must pass. Make sure staff know the phone, paper or in-person option and how to move between routes without making someone start again.
- Review the pathway after four weeks with staff and people who used it. Count whether offers led to completed referrals and useful support; ask what happened to people who did not take up the offer. Fix unclear ownership, delays and repeat explanations before expanding it.
What to measure
- Outcome: people who wanted support completed their chosen digital task or reached an agreed next step.
- Process: offers, referrals and follow-ups completed within the locally agreed timeframe; record where the handoff stopped.
- Balancing: staff time, unresolved requests, people who preferred another route and any new delay or extra work created elsewhere.
Before using real data
Availability and eligibility for devices, data and community support vary by area and over time. Confirm local arrangements with partners before making promises. Follow local information-governance and safeguarding processes, never collect passwords, and do not remove non-digital access routes because a support offer exists.
Agree scope, data handling, supervision and escalation with your practice. Use approved systems. Do not upload patient information to this website or a public AI tool.