News – 100% Digital Leeds

Partner Profile: INCLUDE+

The Inclusive Digital Economy Network (INCLUDE+) is a five-year project funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. The network is building a knowledge community comprising industry, academia, the public and third sectors focusing on inequalities in digital society. They commission specific research projects to explore how social and digital environments can be built, shaped, and sustained to enable all people to thrive.

In 2022, 100% Digital Leeds started working with colleagues at The University of Leeds on different strands of the INCLUDE+ project. Most recently, this has resulted in funding from INCLUDE+ for two digital inclusion research projects in Leeds:

Horsforth Town of Sanctuary received a grant to examine and evaluate the process of gifting devices to people seeking asylum who are temporarily accommodated at a hotel in Leeds.
Voluntary Action Leeds received a grant a grant for a Fellowship to explore how the tech industry, the VCSE sector, and statutory bodies can work together to create more effective and inclusive digital volunteering partnerships.

Horsforth Town of Sanctuary

Horsforth Town of Sanctuary, a part of Horsforth Chaplaincy Project, is a community project that has been running for the last three years. It has around 30 volunteers and a part-time Refugee Support Worker. The project supports people seeking asylum who are temporarily accommodated at a hotel in Leeds.

100% Digital Leeds has worked with Horsforth Town of Sanctuary for two years, helping them to provide smartphones and SIM cards with free data, texts, and calls to people seeking asylum. They gift SIM cards through their weekly conversation club and drop-in sessions. The SIM cards are pre-activated by the volunteers before the session to speed up the gifting process. Due to the high demand, Horsforth Town of Sanctuary also use Vodafone Charities Connected to access free Vodafone SIM cards with data, texts, and calls that last for six months.

Horsforth Town of Sanctuary are part of the Leeds Databank User Group, co-facilitated by 100% Digital Leeds and Good Things Foundation, where they share best practice, tips, and feedback with other community delivery partners.

“Each new person will have contact with one of our volunteers and can receive a SIM card when they first arrive at the hotel. We’ve trained three volunteers who have become more confident in SIM gifting on a weekly basis.”
Laura Schubert, Refugee Support Worker, Horsforth Town of Sanctuary

The research project funded by INCLUDE+ is exploring fair and respectful ways for volunteers who support people accommodated at the hotel to establish whether somebody needs a smartphone. It is also evaluating ways to create a good and fair process for volunteers to gift the phone and give related digital support to someone seeking asylum. Horsforth Town of Sanctuary will explore ways to create feelings of safety for the volunteer and the person seeking asylum when volunteers gift a smartphone, and how best to celebrate and induct that person alongside gifting the phone.

“Having a phone helps people communicate freely with their family and friends, and volunteer charities. Connection to families is really important for people. It helps them to access essential information to support their asylum claim and improve their English. It also makes them feel more confident that the Home Office and their solicitors can contact them. It helps people seeking asylum to prepare and get familiar with life in this country.”
Ian Kemp, Volunteer, Horsforth Town of Sanctuary

Research findings

Gifting was done during the weekly drop-in and conversation club. These sessions are always busy, and people come to the sessions for support with multiple issues in a short space of time.

Volunteers reported that adding smartphone distribution into these sessions affected the levels of trust and relationships with the residents. Access to a phone with data is of great importance to the people who are eligible, but there was a limited number of devices. The inevitable disappointment from residents who did not receive a phone reinforced the need to manage expectations and to be even more explicit about eligibility criteria.

The research found that offering device gifting in that setting had the potential to cause anxiety and tension. This distracted from the key aim of the group, which was to make people feel welcome in a new home, to learn English, and to foster a sense of community.

“Giving phones is really important. But the distribution process is difficult to get right. For our project, it had a particular impact when we tried to do it as part of the main session. We have been thinking about more effective ways of getting phones to people who need one.”
Laura Schubert, Refugee Support Worker, Horsforth Town of Sanctuary

Voluntary Action Leeds Digital Fellowship

Leeds Digital Volunteering Partnership (LDVP) is made up of representatives from 100% Digital Leeds, Leeds Community Foundation, Voluntary Action Leeds, Forum Central, and Leeds City Council. The partnership was formed in Summer 2023 after the success of the Leeds Digital Ball and Leeds Digital Inclusion Fund highlighted further opportunities for the tech sector to support the third sector other than financially.

LDVP fosters cross-sector partnerships that help the city’s third sector organisations benefit from the digital skills and capacity of the tech sector and enable tech businesses and their employees to gain new skills, experience, and a sense of community through work with not-for-profit organisations. Feedback from digital businesses and third sector organisations is that it is difficult to ‘find each other’ and form meaningful, mutually beneficial, lasting relationships.

LDVP proposed to formalise this feedback and to address this challenge through a robust research piece funded by INCLUDE+. 100% Digital Leeds worked closely with Voluntary Action Leeds and LDVP colleagues to secure funding for a Fellowship to research this issue in more depth.

INCLUDE+ funded a Fellowship to explore how the tech industry, the VCSE sector, and statutory bodies can work together to create more effective and inclusive digital volunteering partnerships. The Digital Capacity Officer at Voluntary Action Leeds worked on the Fellowship for six months and their final report was published in August 2025. Their research included individual interviews with many of the charities and tech sector businesses that work with 100% Digital Leeds, focus groups, desk research, and discussions with attendees at the Leeds Digital Matchmaking event organised by 100% Digital Leeds.

Research findings

The report proposes four strategic interventions to support impactful and effective partnerships:

Relationship Method, a practical framework for building trust-based, long-term collaborations between tech and VCSE organisations.
Social Value Quality Mark, a standard to recognise and promote high quality digital volunteering contributions.
Social Value Champions Network, a peer network to support cross-sector learning, leadership, and visibility.
Matchmaking and resource hub website, an online platform to connect organisations, share resources, and support collaboration.

The research has helped to focus attention on this issue and deepen understanding across sectors. It is a step towards developing the necessary infrastructure and resources to help the right interactions happen in the right way going forward. Leeds Digital Volunteering Partnership will continue to work towards empowering businesses and people that want to give their time to meet the needs of communities.

“These were incredibly important research projects for INCLUDE+, exploring issues of digital equity. The findings cement the importance of cross-sectional research not only in terms of identifying issues, but also in building real solutions.”
Helen Thornham, Principal Investigator INCLUDE+, School of Media and Communication, University of Leeds

Next steps

Lessons learned from the Horsforth Town of Sanctuary research will be taken into future device gifting schemes. Findings from the research will be shared with Leeds Migration Partnership, including top tips, a guide to gifting, and good practice principles for effectively gifting devices to those in need.

100% Digital Leeds is working with Hubbub on their Community Calling programme. This will enable more third sector organisations to gift smartphones to their service users who cannot afford their own device.

Voluntary Action Leeds will work with 100% Digital Leeds, the Leeds Digital Volunteering Partnership, and INCLUDE+ to implement the recommendations from the Digital Fellowship Research Project.

100% Digital Leeds will continue to work with INCLUDE+ to identify funding and research opportunities for VCSE organisations in Leeds.

Partner profile: Holbeck Together

Holbeck Together is a charity based in Holbeck, providing services to the local community, supporting people to stay socially and physically active, empowering them to make more informed choices and live longer. Holbeck Together became a Neighbourhood Network in 1992 supporting predominantly older people in Holbeck. Over the past four years they have expanded their offer and now support people of all ages, offering a wide range of activities.

They provide lunch clubs, walking groups, bingo, friendship groups, digital skills sessions and support, parent and baby groups, as well as out-of-hours meal services. Their community transport service operates seven days a week for people who are unable to get out and about independently as well as providing twice weekly shopping trips. Most of their services take place at St Matthews Community Centre, with a community café, a charity shop, a food bank, and social supermarket.

100% Digital Leeds has worked in partnership with Holbeck Together for over five years supporting them to develop and expand their digital inclusion offer. This included securing funding to recruit a digital inclusion worker who has been in post for three years. The worker delivers Holbeck Together’s digital skills support service, which includes a range of group sessions, one-to-one sessions, and most recently digital skills support in the wider community of Holbeck.

Holbeck Together has delivered a range of digital inclusion projects including Transport Connections, Digital Health Hubs, and gifting devices through Community Calling. They have developed their offer to include a wide range of digital inclusion support for the community, including digital skills support, SIM card gifting, a device lending scheme, and devices to use on site. All of these services are shown on the 100% Digital Leeds Community Support Directory.

Holbeck Together have recently embedded digital support within more of the services they offer to reach more people who may have barriers to digital inclusion. They are developing ‘mini digital hubs’ at locations in and around the community of Holbeck to increase digital skills provision. They are also exploring ways to increase their capacity and offer a variety of new digital sessions to meet the needs of their members.

Providing a wide range of digital inclusion support

Holbeck Together takes a person-centred approach to delivering digital inclusion support. After a successful funding bid in 2022 they recruited a Digital Inclusion Worker, Sean, who leads and delivers their digital support offer. They have identified and secured several funding streams since then, including Leeds Digital Inclusion fund in 2023, to enable their Digital Inclusion Worker to develop and deliver their digital inclusion offer. Sean adapts his digital skills support to meet the needs of the community, as well as creating a ‘digital hub’ within the centre.

Holbeck Together offer digital skills drop-in sessions three days a week, they provide digital support within existing activities such as the lunch clubs and coffee mornings, and they offer ad-hoc one-to-one digital support within their digital hub at St Matthews Community Centre.

“We see members regularly visiting the digital hub with a need for support on lots of things like blue badges, managing utility bills, using social media to stay in touch with friends and family, game apps, and basic digital skills support using a smartphone or tablet and setting up an email address.

But it’s not just our regular members who ask for digital support. We regularly get requests for support from new people who have moved into the area, and other people from the community. I’ve helped lots of people to fill in eVisa forms online, write emails to debt collection companies, housing forms, and employment support such as CV writing.”
Sean, Digital Inclusion Worker, Holbeck Together

Holbeck Together provide free wifi and devices on site for people to use to develop their digital skills and confidence, and a tablet lending scheme which helps members to get to grips with using a device when they don’t have one of their own. Holbeck Together joined the National Databank and use the Vodafone Charities Connected scheme to gift data SIMs to their members. They have recently ordered more SIMs as they have seen a rise in demand for data gifting across their community.

“I couldn’t use my phone before I started visiting the digital hub, but then attending weekly meant I could send messages, emails and even downloaded an app! After a bereavement, Sean helped me unfreeze bank accounts online, access pension and bill information, and even helped me renew my passport. I really enjoy visiting every week to learn more and have more independence.”
Ken, service user, Holbeck Together

Helping people use the NHS app

Over the past three years Holbeck Together has seen a rise in demand for help with using digital health tools, with many members asking for support ordering their prescriptions online, managing appointments, and navigating texts and emails from health services. Working in partnership with 100% Digital Leeds, Holbeck Together became a Digital Health Hub in 2022. They started offering one-to-one support with the NHS app and helped people to use their GP practice’s websites to manage appointments. These support sessions expanded based on demand from the community, and Sean now delivers three digital drop-ins every week to support people with digital health tools, using How To guides to support people to learn at their own pace.

“Many of our older members have really struggled with the changes in how they engage with their GP practice. It’s great to be able to sit with them and help them download the NHS app, spend time showing them how to use it confidently, and help them have less anxiety around making appointments on the app and ordering their medication.”
Sean, Digital Inclusion Worker, Holbeck Together

The range of digital support offered within these drop-in sessions has been varied, with many people needing support with medication ordering, appointment managing, booking eye checks, diabetes checks, and blood tests online. Anyone within the community can access these drop-ins for digital support. Sean is looking to build stronger relationships with local GP practices to help them identify people with digital inclusion barriers and refer them to the support sessions.

The national NHS app team contacted Holbeck Together to take part in user research feedback and they have been attending their breakfast sessions. This has given members the chance to feedback on the new NHS app user interface and feedback on how they find navigating the app, sharing any challenges they have experienced when using it.

Delivering the Transport Connections project

100% Digital Leeds partnered with Leeds Older People’s Forum to lead Transport Connections. The project was funded through the Department for Transport’s ‘Tackling loneliness with transport’ fund, and focused on improving older people’s access and experiences with transport across the city.

Holbeck Together became a key delivery partner on the project alongside other organisations in Leeds, supporting older people to use taxi and bus apps, with a goal to increase their independence when travelling around the city.

Holbeck Together found the initial barriers their service users faced included:

Lack of understanding of the range of travel apps available
Lack of digital skills in using the apps
Lack of understanding of the terminology used in the apps
Lack of trust in their own ability to use the apps safely, including concerns around inputting personal details

In response, Holbeck Together’s Digital Inclusion Worker designed and delivered a series of tailored digital support sessions themed around the most common travel apps:

Uber
Veezu
First Bus
Moovit
Trainline

The sessions were successful in helping members to develop their skills and confidence using the apps, and in raising awareness of which apps are available to give members more opportunities to travel around the city. Sean built peer support into the sessions, encouraging members to show each other the apps they found most useful, and sharing the benefits of booking travel digitally.

After the project ended, there was even more demand from members for support using travel apps. Holbeck Together decided to embed this digital support into their regular digital drop-in sessions.

“I was initially worried that I wouldn’t be able to use the First Bus app as it looked quite complex. I was so pleased the sessions helped me get more confidence with it, and I felt so much better checking bus routes and which bus stops I needed to be at. I look forward to taking bus journeys again. I even chose to get off at a different bus stop that I saw on the app so I could add a little walk and come home a different way!”
Janet, service user, Holbeck Together

Embedding digital inclusion support into other services

As well as providing support within the digital hub, Sean has explored other ways to reach people who may have barriers to digital inclusion. He regularly attends the coffee mornings and other sessions within the community café to chat to people and gain a deeper understanding of their digital inclusion needs and barriers. Sean also speaks to people as they come to collect a food parcel from the food pantry at Holbeck Together. He discusses the support available at the digital hub, and signposts people to the other elements of the digital inclusion offer including free data SIMs and access to equipment.

“When people come into the food pantry or when people come in to get help with their housing forms I ask, ‘What else do you need support with?’ It’s a comfortable setting and people really appreciate us asking what other support they need. I tell them they can come to us for digital support as much as they need. We leave the door open at the digital hub within the centre so people can come in whenever it’s open.”
Sean, Digital Inclusion Worker, Holbeck Together

More recently, Sean has started working closely with Chris, the Outreach Worker at Holbeck Together, to identify new ways to deliver digital support and reach more people. Chris delivers a range of support in and out of the centre and many of the people he works with do not have an email address or have low digital skills and confidence. Chris has started to refer his clients to the digital hub to receive support from Sean.

“I ask people if they have a device, if they have an email address, and I ask questions to understand if they need digital support. Then I can let them know about the digital hub. It’s made me think differently about how we can work together and take a two-pronged approach to providing support within Holbeck Together. I have my focus on outreach and wellbeing, and Sean focuses on digital inclusion.”
Chris, Outreach Worker, Holbeck Together

Holbeck Together partnered with Cycling UK’s The Bike Revival to offer six-week courses providing people with a free bike and support in riding their bike and bike maintenance. Chris led this project and explored ways to embed digital inclusion into the programme. Sean began providing digital support within the project, supporting people to use the maps app to plan cycling routes, how to MOT your bike using videos on YouTube, using the Beryl bikes app, and supporting people to develop their digital skills whilst taking part in the course.

Setting up digital hubs in the community

Holbeck Together’s outreach support is also delivered at a variety of locations within the community. Sean has started visiting these locations to offer digital skills support alongside Chris delivering the wider health and wellbeing support. This new way of working has enabled more of the community to access digital support outside of the centre.

This started with offering digital support at St Peter’s Court sheltered accommodation where many of the residents couldn’t visit the centre due to their mobility issues. On the first Friday of each month Sean is now delivering a digital drop-in there to support many people with a wide range of digital inclusion needs.

“I appreciate the digital support so much. They’re so understanding and are truly helpful and go beyond what is required. I find out something new every time and it’s given me a new lease of life.”
Jennifer, service user, Holbeck Together

Holbeck Together are exploring more sheltered accommodation schemes and other places in the community where they could set up regular digital hubs alongside the support offered by their Outreach Worker. They are also working with probation services in the local area to support prison leavers with their digital skills and SIM gifting.

“I didn’t realise how many people couldn’t get to the centre for digital support, but now I’m able to go to these other locations alongside Chris’s outreach work. I’ve seen just how many people in the community need digital inclusion support that I wasn’t aware of. It’s going really well and we’re now looking at more places in the community where we can develop digital hubs on a regular basis.”
Sean, Digital Inclusion Worker, Holbeck Together

Next steps

Expanding digital support

Holbeck Together are planning to set up an IT recycling and repairs service within the digital hub, as many of the members have needed laptop repairs or have donated broken devices. They plan to refurbish these and make them available to more people within the community.

Sean is also looking at some new themes for the digital skills sessions:

Backing up data on devices: exploring ways to back up photos and files, as many of the members attending the digital hub aren’t aware how they can do this
Job applications: more support around CV writing, applying for jobs and supporting people with accredited courses to increase opportunities for employment
Health apps: more support around specific health apps to support people living with long-term conditions

Corporate partnerships

100% Digital Leeds is working with businesses in the city on their social value offer. SCC expressed an interest in partnering with an organisation in Holbeck, which led to 100% Digital Leeds connecting them with Holbeck Together to explore opportunities for how SCC may be able to support their digital inclusion offer. This partnership has developed and Holbeck Together are keen to build a long-standing relationship with SCC.

Many of Holbeck Together’s current devices on site are outdated or working slowly, so SCC have offered to provide Holbeck Together with new equipment such as laptops, desktops, and tablets. This will expand their service provision within the digital hub and Holbeck Together have confirmed that some of the devices can be available at St Peter’s Court sheltered accommodation for residents to use outside of the digital drop-ins.

Increasing capacity

To increase their capacity to deliver digital skills support within the centre and within the digital hubs in the community, Holbeck Together are exploring options around recruiting digital volunteers. They are using Voluntary Action Leeds’s Be Collective programme, as well as speaking to the DWP about hosting a work experience placement that could support their digital inclusion offer.

Funding for the Digital Inclusion Worker runs out later this year and, with the increased demand for digital inclusion support, Holbeck Together are looking to identify future funding opportunities with the help of 100% Digital Leeds.

Heart of Holbeck

In 2023, Leeds City Council launched plans for the regeneration of Holbeck, allocating more than £15million to the ‘Heart of Holbeck’ project. The plans will deliver transformative change throughout the community and a key strand will support Holbeck Together to improve St Matthew’s Community Centre where they run their services and digital hub. Holbeck Together are keen to explore ways to increase their digital inclusion offer through this development and will adapt their service offer to fit with the renovation of their buildings.

“We’re extremely grateful to work in partnership with 100% Digital Leeds. They’ve been tremendous at helping us identify and apply for funding and helped us really shape our digital inclusion offer to meet the needs of our community. A big thank you 100% Digital Leeds, we look forward to seeing what opportunities our partnership brings in the future!”
The team at Holbeck Together.

Partner profile: Leeds Skyline

For the last year, 100% Digital Leeds has been supporting Leeds Skyline, an HIV support service based at BHA For Equality, to design, develop and grow their digital inclusion offer.

Leeds Skyline works with clients who are affected by HIV to provide them with the support and services they need to live healthy, happy, and independent lives following their diagnosis. Leeds Skyline identified that many of their clients were experiencing digital exclusion which was exacerbating their health inequalities.

100% Digital Leeds worked with Leeds Skyline to build the organisation’s digital inclusion offer. This included identifying the barriers to digital inclusion faced by their clients, identifying funding to buy new equipment, and delivering digital skills sessions using a person-centred approach.

“This group is a brilliant idea and I really needed it. I can check when my bus is coming now without having to stand for a long time at the bus stop.”

Leeds Skyline client, following a drop-in digital skills session.

Understanding digital exclusion for Leeds Skyline clients

BHA For Equality is a charity that runs health services across the North of England to support people who are disadvantaged by healthcare systems, and advocate for equitable healthcare for marginalised communities. Their HIV support service, Leeds Skyline, is a free, safe, and confidential service which offers both emotional and practical support for people affected by HIV. Their services include peer mentoring, counselling, support groups, activity groups, and one-to-one support.

While delivering support sessions, it became clear to staff that clients were experiencing barriers to engaging with digital tools and technology, and that clients’ lack of digital skills and confidence was having a detrimental impact on their ability to access statutory services.

Leeds Skyline approached 100% Digital Leeds to discuss how the team might be able to help with clients’ digital inclusion. The 100% Digital Leeds team delivered a digital inclusion awareness workshop with Leeds Skyline staff, including Support Workers and volunteers, to better understand the barriers to digital inclusion that clients were facing, and what effect this had on their lives.

“From support sessions it’s been clear how digitally excluded people are, and how stressful it is for our clients to have to use systems that they didn’t grow up with. They are having to adapt to digital because that’s how the world is now.”

Fran, Support Worker, Leeds Skyline.

Staff identified that their clients were struggling with things like booking medical appointments online, accessing Universal Credit, and signing up to Leeds Homes to bid for social housing. They explained that often their clients are comfortable with using widespread digital technology like Facebook and WhatsApp, but weren’t as confident with less well-known digital platforms and tools. Staff shared that there was also a lot of fear amongst clients, especially older clients, about the risk of online scams and fraud.

Staff explained that some clients experience many different additional needs alongside their HIV diagnosis, which can compound digital exclusion. These needs include homelessness, poverty, immigration issues, language and literacy issues, and other long-term health conditions, including mental health issues.

Staff also explained that some clients do not have access to the right digital equipment, and that Leeds Skyline didn’t have any digital equipment to use with clients outside of staff members’ work laptops.

Clients’ inability to engage with the digital world independently meant that a lot of the time staff were supporting clients to register with online accounts, get logged in, and completing online forms for clients.

“You can’t join Leeds Homes or have a bidding number without going online and helping people to do that is something that comes up quite a lot. Clients also struggle with booking medical appointments and dealing with Universal Credit. You must do it online and these aren’t things our clients can easily do. I think if people could choose not to do them, they probably would, but that’s not an option, so we help with registering, thinking of passwords, and logging in.”

Fran, Support Worker, Leeds Skyline.

Supporting Leeds Skyline to access resources and develop staff skills

100% Digital Leeds awarded Leeds Skyline £5,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) to buy digital equipment to use with their clients to increase digital skills and confidence, and to provide connectivity for clients. Leeds Skyline purchased tablets and headphones and a charging cabinet to make sure that their equipment was stored securely, charged, and ready for use.

“The tablets will mean that the service users will be more equipped to send their own emails, set up their own Patchs appointments, and shop online. This, in time, will reduce pressure from the team, who find themselves supporting service users with emails and online GP appointments weekly.”

Fran, Support Worker, Leeds Skyline.

Leeds Skyline initially felt their staff didn’t have the skills, confidence or capacity to support clients to learn the digital skills needed to engage with digital tools independently. 100% Digital Leeds linked Leeds Skyline with Out Together, a charity that has also received support from 100% Digital Leeds to develop their approach to supporting digital inclusion. Staff from Leeds Skyline shadowed Out Together’s digital skills sessions, increasing their confidence to deliver similar sessions at Skyline.

“It was encouraging seeing how a little bit of digital knowledge goes a long way, once you’re explaining it to a group. It felt doable.”

Fran, Support Worker, Leeds Skyline.

Digital drop-in sessions

100% Digital Leeds supported Leeds Skyline to access short-term additional skills and capacity to develop and deliver weekly digital drop-in sessions by linking the organisation with Voluntary Action Leeds. 100% Digital Leeds had previously supported Voluntary Action Leeds with UKSPF Funding to fund a Digital Capacity Officer. This role involves delivering digital inclusion support sessions in partnership with community organisations across the city and building people’s confidence to use digital tools and services. The Digital Capacity Officer worked with Leeds Skyline to develop and deliver informal digital skills sessions in relaxed and social settings where clients were supported with their issues or questions. The social element of the sessions allowed clients to see common issues shared by the group, which made people feel more comfortable in sharing their own digital issues.

“We found that while I was helping someone, other people would hear what I was saying and then anyone in the group who also had that issue or wanted to learn that skill would say that they had an interest in also learning about that. So then, it might end up being three or four people I was helping. This meant that they might come for one particular thing they need help with but then they’ll learn a lot just by hearing other people’s comments and questions.”

Katie, Digital Capacity Officer, Voluntary Action Leeds.

Clients were able to access the sessions in the familiar surroundings of the Skyline office, from staff that they already have a trusted relationship with, and who know them and their personal circumstances. Leeds Skyline supported Voluntary Action Leeds’s Digital Capacity Officer to develop relationships with the participants which meant that she could have more impactful conversations about what was important to them.

“Fran and I working as a team has been great because she is someone that they’re already familiar with and they have a trusted relationship with her. This really helped in the beginning because I already had that trusted person with me, and then I’ve been able to build relationships over time. It’s nice to know that they feel safe with me, that if they have any issues, they can just come to me and it doesn’t matter how big or small it is. They know that I’ll do the best I can to support them with whatever it is.”

Katie, Digital Capacity Officer, Voluntary Action Leeds.

Leeds Skyline’s digital drop-in sessions have been very well attended, with clients expressing the many ways in which the support has enabled them to do the things that are important to them.

“Honestly, I didn’t even know buses had apps! Now I just check when the next one’s coming, it’s so much easier.”

“I struggled to open documents that the doctors sent me via email, now I can open them with my Google Drive! So much better.”

“I’m so glad I can now add attachments to my emails. I can send pictures to my family without needing to always print them out.”

Skyline clients after attending digital inclusion sessions.

Having positive digital conversations with clients has been key to the success of the sessions, with participants feeling comfortable to talk about their lives, allowing Leeds Skyline and Voluntary Action Leeds to use digital tools and technology as enablers to support clients with the things that are important to them.

“Being involved in those conversations and really getting to know the clients has been so important, because it’s from those conversations where I’ve said, ‘OK, you’ve gone to see your friend in the hospital, how did you get there? Did you get there by bus? Do you have the app for the bus so you know what time the next one comes? Why don’t I help you download it?’ and then it means that the support is actually helping them with something specific to their lives.”

Katie, Digital Capacity Officer, Voluntary Action Leeds.

Embedding digital inclusion support into non-digital sessions

Leeds Skyline’s approach to all of their support work is to make sure that it is person-centred. Support is based around people’s individual interests and needs and is aimed at building on people’s strengths. This was the same approach that they took when designing their digital inclusion offer.

“We always like to think about people’s strengths, so that linked into our thinking about what digital tools people were already interested and comfortable with. For example, we know that WhatsApp is amazing if you’re on a budget and you’ve got to keep in contact with someone you love in another country. So we’ve tried to build our digital inclusion approach by starting with people’s strengths and focusing on what the fun and enjoyable activities are rather than going straight into telling people, ‘You are now learning a skill”.

Fran, Support Worker, Leeds Skyline.

Leeds Skyline embedded the use of their digital equipment across their different services, giving clients the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the tablets outside of a ‘digital’ session, and helping staff to explore how the tablets can help to enable organisational aims and objectives. This has meant that clients can see how digital tools and technology can impact on their lives in a way that is more relevant to the services they’re accessing, and therefore more meaningful to them.

“We ran a cancer awareness course and the tablets came in handy for fun quizzes about food choices. We downloaded a label reader app to help clients decode health info on food. We have also been using them in client one-to-ones for things like bidding on Leeds Homes or resetting a password. It is more empowering than if I used my laptop because the process looks the same as on a phone but it is bigger and easier for two people to see. It also means that I don’t have to handle someone’s private phone.”

Fran, Support Worker, Leeds Skyline.

Leeds Skyline found creative approaches to digital inclusion are less intimidating than a formal digital skills session, and more familiar, engaging, and accessible for clients.

“We have been introducing the tablets by stealth. We use them for games at our coffee mornings, using them for inspiration on a craft activity for looking up designs to decorate plant pots, and doing a guided meditation with headphones at the LGBT group. We have focussed on sharing music and finding things on YouTube and talked about what kinds of music are meaningful and mood-boosting to each person. That was particularly lovely because we’ve got one client who is very musical and confident in the field of music. He finds any sort of formal written task terribly difficult, so it was fantastic just seeing him negotiate YouTube and be totally in his element, but with this device in his hand.”

Fran, Support Worker, Leeds Skyline.

Next steps

100% Digital Leeds will continue to support Leeds Skyline to embed their digital inclusion work across the organisation and to work towards making their digital inclusion offer sustainable. Leeds Skyline are keen to explore funding opportunities to build capacity within the team to support digital inclusion as they have seen the enthusiasm from their clients, and the difference that it makes to their lives.

Leeds Digital Inclusion Fund 2025

The Leeds Digital Inclusion Fund is a permanent grant funding stream administered by Leeds Community Foundation in partnership with 100% Digital Leeds. The fund supports the development and delivery of sustainable digital inclusion interventions in Leeds. Grants of up to £10,000 are available to community organisations aimed at ensuring that individuals and communities in Leeds have the skills, support, and equipment to be active online, now and in the future.

Applying to the fund

The 2025 Leeds Digital Inclusion Fund launched on 1 July and is open for applications until midday on Thursday 11 September, with decisions being made in December. The grant criteria, eligibility, and all other relevant information can be found on the Leeds Community Foundation website.

Contact us for support in developing your project idea and fund application. To ensure you can make the most of the support available from the 100% Digital Leeds team organisations should read the grant criteria and eligibility, and watch the briefing event recording, before contacting us.

If you have any questions about your eligibility or the application process, please contact the Leeds Community Foundation Grants Team at grants@leedscf.org.uk or call 0113 242 2426.

Fund launch and briefing event

This year’s Leeds Digital Inclusion Fund was launched on 1 July with an online briefing event hosted by Leeds Community Foundation and 100% Digital Leeds. During the event we shared information about the fund’s criteria and application process, as well as the support that 100% Digital Leeds can offer.

Leeds Digital Charity Ball

Every year, money raised by the Leeds Digital Charity Ball is given in grants to community organisations through the Leeds Digital Inclusion Fund. Grants support the development and delivery of sustainable digital inclusion interventions in Leeds, and the fund is administered by Leeds Community Foundation with support from 100% Digital Leeds.

On 12 June 2025, the digital and tech sector in Leeds came together at the Royal Armouries for the fourth annual Leeds Digital Charity Ball. The event aims to celebrate the city’s growing tech and digital community, shine a spotlight on the importance of digital inclusion, and raise funds to narrow the digital divide.

Partner profile: GIPSIL

Over the last three and a half years, 100% Digital Leeds has been working with GIPSIL to increase digital inclusion for their clients, with an initial focus on supporting access to employment. Through its Employment and Engagement service, GIPSIL has started to tackle digital exclusion to ensure that lack of access to technology is no longer a barrier to a stable home or meaningful employment.

100% Digital Leeds also facilitated new partnerships with Amazon Web Services and Jangala, providing GIPSIL with the resources to gift laptops and connectivity to their clients. GIPSIL’s staff also offer long-term, individualised support to build their clients’ digital skills and confidence.

GIPSIL’s Support Workers identify clients whose lack of access to suitable devices and connectivity is preventing them from progressing closer to employment. Staff provide them with a laptop and connectivity, as well as offering support to use these to their full potential. The trusted relationships that GIPSIL’s staff have with their clients plays a critical role in the success of these interventions. For people who have experienced trauma, exploitation or systemic disadvantage, the offer of a free laptop, SIM, or wifi box can seem ‘too good to be true’. But through consistent kindness and patient outreach, GIPSIL builds trust over time.

Embedding digital inclusion support within GIPSIL’s existing services has already seen many positive outcomes for clients. One client has used their device to start their own business, another is setting up a care leavers network, and many have been able to access learning and find secure housing.

“MF came to the country as a refugee with a 9-year-old daughter. MF had been in Rotherham, and had faced racism and much hardship prior to her temporary accommodation placement in Leeds. She was studying a Health & Social Care Level 1 course, but was studying from her phone. We gifted her a laptop with the funding from AWS, and a data SIM via the National Databank. These made studying much easier, and allowed her to place her bids for local authority housing. MF has subsequently secured a job in the NHS and is also rehoused by the local authority. MF thanked us for the laptop, saying it made her life so much easier with studying and applying for jobs, and it allowed her to keep in touch with family in Eritrea”

Case study provided by GIPSIL.

100% Digital Leeds also supported GIPSIL with a UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) grant to purchase laptops for use on site, and to set up a new video conferencing suite which allowed the organisation to expand its training offer. 100% Digital Leeds is now working with GIPSIL to find and secure funding to employ an officer to deliver digital skills support across the service, and further improve the organisation’s digital inclusion offer.

“A major challenge to deliver digital inclusion support was funding and an initial lack of awareness of where to get digital support. 100% Digital Leeds have not only sign-posted us in the right direction, but supported us through the process and opened doors for future on-going digital inclusion.”

Brent Riley, Employment and Engagement Worker, Engage Leeds.

Digital inclusion to access housing and employment

GIPSIL is a charity that supports people in the most disadvantaged communities in Leeds and Wakefield. GIPSIL aims to prevent homelessness, improve wellbeing, and build community.

GIPSIL works with various partners to deliver four services:

Community, Health and Prevention: Wellbeing support for children and young people in primary, secondary or college education, as well as outreach settings across Leeds.
Elevate: Maintenance of GIPSIL’s property portfolio, lead on abandoned homes renovation and provision of volunteer placements and apprenticeships.
Our Way Leeds: Supporting young people who are navigating housing challenges or transitioning to independent living, while providing wrap around support for positive long-term outcomes.
Engage Leeds: Providing one-on-one assistance to individuals and families at risk of losing their homes or wanting to live more independently.

Delivered in partnership with Barca, Connect Housing, and Riverside, Engage Leeds offers tailored support to address housing challenges, improve well-being, and foster connections within the community. By collaborating with local partners and services, Engage Leeds empowers people to create sustainable solutions and achieve stability in their lives. Through their compassionate and personalised approach, Engage Leeds embodies a commitment to making housing support accessible and impactful across Leeds

Engage Leeds and OWL Employment and Engagement Service helps people explore job opportunities, education, and training. They provide tailored support with CV writing, job applications, finding work experience, volunteering, and accessing learning opportunities.

The service recognises the difficulty in applying for jobs when clients have only a phone and a limited data allowance, or no connectivity at all. Given that 90% of all jobs are only advertised online it is essential for job seekers to have access to the internet and the digital skills required to apply for jobs, such as creating documents for CVs, attending online interviews and managing emails.

Improving access to digital devices and connectivity

After identifying affordability of digital equipment and connectivity as a barrier to people accessing training and work, GIPSIL has taken a number of steps to provide clients with devices and connectivity.

GIPSIL recondition their old staff phones and gift them to clients unable to afford a smartphone. They gift National Databank SIM cards along with the phones, providing clients with free data, texts and calls. Even when a client’s case is closed, they can come back to their support worker for another SIM card if they need to.

“SIM cards help people when they are newly employed to get their shifts sent over. This helps with silly things like ringing your employer to let them know if you can change shift or whatever. It’s often small things that we take for granted, but it makes a huge difference. It makes people think, ‘I’m a part of society, I can connect like everyone else”

Brent Riley, Employment and Engagement Worker, Engage Leeds.

100% Digital Leeds facilitated a partnership between GIPSIL and Amazon Web Services (AWS). The partnership led to AWS providing GIPSIL with 35 laptops to gift to clients without a suitable device. The partnership was mutually beneficial, supporting GIPSIL’s aims and objectives and AWS’s social value agenda. Alongside this, the 100% Digital Leeds partnership with Jangala has enabled GIPSIL to provide their clients who struggle to afford the cost of wifi with GetBoxes – free ‘plug in and go’ connectivity solutions.

This collaborative approach has helped GIPSIL provide clients with the tools and confidence to navigate the digital world independently to gain meaningful employment. Clients have also used the laptops to access training, bid for houses, and to stay in touch with friends and family.

“Being able to access the internet often supports them just feeling safe. Laptops and tablets help people access online courses, children with homework and place housing bids. Refugees can better keep in touch with families at home.”

Brent Riley, Employment and Engagement Worker, Engage Leeds.

One support worker shared the story of a woman who had just arrived in the UK from Mauritius. GIPSIL enrolled her in college courses, and, with the help of a laptop and Get Box, she could learn from home, help her child with schoolwork, and bid on housing, improving the future for her whole family.

“The laptop and Get Box helped so she could study from home. The family had no access to any digital media, so it was life changing for them all.”

Jodie Lazenby Employment and Engagement Support Worker, Engage Leeds.

A further example of how digital inclusion support provided by GIPSIL has helped a client access learning and move closer towards employment:

“L was gifted a laptop he has been using it to keep on top of all his college work. He is expected to pass E3 ESOL and Maths this summer and is now applying for work with his laptop. He has also passed his CSCS course. He literally used the laptop for hours of revising for the multiple-choice question exam. L, said that without the laptop he wouldn’t have been able to access all the things he has been able to accomplish.”

Case study provided by Pete Pickavance, Senior Employment and Engagement Worker.

GIPSIL has also been generous enough to distribute laptops to people who need them to access employment and housing through a number of partner organisations:

Funding to purchase equipment to use on site

In 2024 100% Digital Leeds awarded GIPSIL £25,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), after 100% Digital Leeds was allocated funding to increase the capacity of community organisations to increase digital inclusion. The funding had a specific focus on interventions and activities that build people’s confidence to use digital tools and services as an enabler to increase financial resilience.

GIPSIL used this funding to purchase equipment to support client digital inclusion on site. The fund allowed GIPSIL to purchase a bank of laptops for use by clients, plus accessories such as headphones and a secure charging cabinet. They have also used the funding to set up one of their training rooms as a video conferencing suite, which they now call the Teams Room.

The Teams Room allows GIPSIL to deliver courses for those experiencing digital poverty. Courses that have been requested by service users include online safety, accessing and navigating NHS systems, online mental health and neurodivergent support, job searching and employment navigation, CV writing and online job applications, and accessing universal credit and general benefits advice.

By allowing people to dial in remotely, the Teams room has helped GIPSIL to expand their reach past the 20 people the room holds in person. The dial-in feature also means GIPSIL can invite a wider range of external trainers, speakers, and delivery partners, as travel time and costings no longer need to be considered when forming new partnerships.

“It hugely expands the scope of our offer to support digital inclusion in the heart of the Gipton community, and it’s also accessible to Seacroft area very close by. As well as engaging new services users who need digital support, the equipment increases capacity to provide courses and training to our existing 2,000 services users that are at risk of homelessness or mental ill-health living in deprived communities experiencing digital poverty. We are also keen for our partners to collaborate with us to reduce digital poverty and use the room. We had 50 partners attend the launch of the room. Now the room has been refurbished and equipment installed, we are very excited to start increasing our offer and deliver the new projects.”

Brent Riley, Employment and Engagement Worker, Engage Leeds.

Next steps

100% Digital Leeds will continue to work with GIPSIL to embed digital inclusion into the support offered by the Engage service, and the wider organisation. Beyond employment and education access, GIPSIL has also noted the need for support with digital health and accessing apps like PATCHs and the NHS app to improve access to GPs, as well as sessions around transport apps. 100% Digital Leeds is working with GIPSIL to find and secure funding to employ an officer to deliver digital skills support across the service, and further improve the organisation’s digital inclusion offer.

“Ideally, we would like to employ a specific staff member working exclusively on up-skilling the people we support digitally, but we do not currently have the funding capacity to do this. This would make such a difference if we had a person doing this role full time.”

Brent Riley, Employment and Engagement worker, Engage Leeds.

Multiply project roundup

Multiply was a government funded scheme to improve adult numeracy skills. It aimed to boost people’s ability to use maths in their daily life, both at home and work. The Leeds City Council Multiply scheme was managed by the Employment and Skills service. 100% Digital Leeds worked with Employment and Skills and third sector partners to use Multiply to support communities hit hardest by the cost-of-living crisis.

Over three funding rounds, 19 of 100% Digital Leeds’s third sector delivery partners received funding to support almost 700 learners to improve their financial resilience by increasing their maths skills and their digital inclusion. Each learner was gifted a digital device and connectivity.

Digital inclusion and financial resilience

The aims of Multiply included engaging people without qualifications who would not be willing or able to learn numeracy skills in a more formal setting, and helping people to be better equipped to manage their own money. 100% Digital Leeds worked with Employment and Skills to award grants to trusted third sector delivery partners who are working with communities more likely to be digitally excluded and experiencing financial hardship.

The third sector organisations identified for this partnership offer person-centred support and maintain trusted relationships with their clients. The people they support often lack the confidence to access formal education due to barriers such as mental health needs, immigration status, or English as an additional language, meaning a traditional classroom setting is less accessible to them.

The organisations tailored their courses in different ways to make them accessible, relevant, and enjoyable to their learners. In addition, each learner was given a digital device with connectivity and support to develop the digital skills and confidence they need to make best use of digital tools and services to manage their money.

Those supported included people on low incomes, people with learning disabilities, people with mental health needs, refugees and asylum seekers, and older people.

The organisations that delivered Multiply are:

Belle Isle Senior Action

Better Leeds Communities

Burmantofts Community Friends

Cross Gates and District Good Neighbours Scheme CIO

Damasq

Groundwork Yorkshire

Hamara

Health For All

Holbeck Together

Leeds Older People’s Forum

Leep1

People Matters

Pyramid

RETAS Leeds

Slate Leeds

St Vincent’s Leeds

The Highrise Project

Touchstone Leeds

Trust Leeds

Course content covered numeracy skills for improved financial resilience, such as household budgeting, price comparisons, and online shopping and selling. Each organisation used some of their funding to purchase and gift to each learner a new digital device such as a smart phone, tablet, or smart speaker, and additional connectivity if required. Learners were supported to develop the digital skills and confidence they need to make best use of their new digital device to save and manage their money.

“The fact the learning was branded as household budgeting and not maths attracted people to do it. Having some time to look at price comparison sites and energy comparison sites was brilliant. There’s so much information that people can get, but they don’t know it’s there.”

Keith Aspden, Lifelong Learning Co-ordinator, Groundwork Yorkshire.

The Multiply sessions also increased people’s awareness of how much money can be saved by shopping online, with research showing that people purchasing online save around 25% on average per transaction. Digital exclusion puts people at a strong disadvantage whilst looking for work, training or education, and managing benefits and finances. Combining essential numeracy skills with digital skills to improve people’s financial resilience has been valuable for the organisations supporting people living in poverty or on low incomes.

“It’s about positioning maths in a practical way to have an impact on people’s lives, because that’s where things can go wrong. Some people don’t understand even the basics of saving or rising costs.”

Ann Wilson, Manager, SLATE Leeds.

Tailored support for communities

Damasq is an organisation that works to support refugees, asylum seekers, other migrants and minority communities through education, enterprise, and employment support. 

Damasq found that some of the women in their group didn’t have responsibility over family finances. During the Multiply course they learned about online banking and online shopping but needed further support to gain a proper understanding of how to use these tools to increase their independence. Each participant at Damasq received a tablet with a SIM card with data. Participants reported using the tablets to help their children complete homework and using WhatsApp to contact family and friends.

After the session one participant used ChatGPT on their new tablet to find a much cheaper flight to Syria by going via Istanbul and adding luggage separately. Damasq plan to offer further sessions on online banking and the use of AI to support the refugee communities of Leeds.

“I was able to visit one of Damasq’s sessions. It was delivered by one of Damasq’s members, a lady who works in user interface design and user experience. It was clear that having the class delivered by a peer put Damasq’s learners at ease. It also meant the session could be delivered in Arabic. Delivering the session in the first language of Damasq’s members removed any potential language barriers, making the session more engaging and easier for people to understand. The session covered the basics of internet shopping, a topic which appealed to the learners and was a great way to combine basic numeracy skills with digital skills. As an added bonus, the lady leading the session told me that playing this role allowed her to build her confidence in presenting.”

Alice James Hopton, 100% Digital Leeds. 

Practical skills for life

RETAS (Refugee Education Training Advice Service) supports asylum seekers and refugees who are waiting to access formal education or looking for employment. One of their Multiply learners had very limited digital skills and was on the waiting list for a course at Leeds City College. The Multiply course enabled him to learn the basics of using a computer.

“The course was very good because I started from scratch. Now I’ve learnt to do things on the computer like making files and saving documents and I know how to stay safe online. It will help me to find work, access courses, and study.”

Multiply learner at RETAS

RETAS has found that once asylum seekers get their refugee status, some people lack the ability to get online and apply for jobs or benefits. This means that more people end up in debt, putting pressure on RETAS’s advice service as well as other financial advice, emergency food, and housing services in the city.

“Multiply has really met a need in being able to equip people with practical skills, and help them be autonomous, so they can avoid getting into debt.”

Joanne Burgess, Learning Manager, RETAS.

Making learning accessible and enjoyable

Touchstone works in partnership with the Rehabilitation and Recovery Service. This is a specialist community-based rehabilitation service comprised of two mental health hospital wards within the Leeds and York Partnership Foundation Trust.

Learners on the ward initially struggled to create a shopping list for a meal plan on a budget. There were also learners with language barriers and anxieties around maths. On the Multiply sessions they were taught how to get the most out of their money whilst shopping online, such as shopping for non-branded items and using the ‘lowest to highest’ price settings on supermarket sites to find the cheapest deals. The money management course has given two people the confidence to go onto further learning in English and Maths and they have been given laptops to help them in their college work.

“The course consisted of a range of activities looking at shopping on a budget, household bills, and planning a ‘concert’ which included adding up the costs for the event and artists. For the whole course we used an online platform called Mentimeter. Each learner was able to log onto Mentimeter and follow the presentation and course content online. A participant’s first language was Spanish, and we were able to translate everything on Mentimeter and changed their settings on the device to make learning easier and inclusive.”

Jess Masterson, Pathway Inclusion Coordinator, Touchstone.

Supporting holistic outcomes

Cross Gates and District Good Neighbours Scheme CIO tailored their Multiply sessions to help the people using their food pantry customers. They worked with that group to increase their confidence and support them with budgeting. At the end of the course participants received a free tablet with connectivity, and they were signposted to the organisation’s digital support service to make the most of their new device. This ongoing support extended people’s learning, enabling people to use their device to connect with family and friends and do their shopping online.

“Many of the learners who attended Multiply sessions have continued to engage with our weekly coffee mornings and one-to-one digital drop-in sessions, which has helped further reinforce their learning and increase social inclusion. Some have even gone on to attend other digital skills courses, learning about the NHS App, staying safe online, and our ‘Fuel Poverty’ course. That shows their increased confidence and ongoing interest in improving their digital skills.”

Jo Horsfall, CEO, Cross Gates and District Good Neighbours Scheme CIO

The offer of a free digital device was a hook for people who lack the confidence and motivation to attend a more formal maths or digital skills course. This meant that people who would benefit from support but struggle to access it were encouraged to attend sessions. Some participants sought further support from the organisations upon finishing the course.

The Multiply sessions delivered by some of 100% Digital Leeds’s delivery partners have been successful in improving numeracy skills while bridging the digital divide for some of Leeds’s most underserved communities. All of the organisations took a person-centred approach to the sessions, tailoring the content to meet the needs of their communities, with ongoing support to use the digital equipment that each organisation gave to their learners on the Multiply sessions.

By combining practical maths skills with digital inclusion, Multiply has helped people to take greater control of their finances, access essential services online, and build their confidence in the digital world.

Partner Profile: Leeds Caring Hands

Leeds Caring Hands is a charity based in North Leeds Medical Practice that supports their local community of Moortown and Moor Allerton with opportunities to socialise, play games and stay active. The group identified a need for digital support when many patients were unable to use digital health tools to engage with the practice. It became clear that many patients, especially older patients, had barriers to digital inclusion which meant they were unable to use the Patchs app and other online services.

With support from 100% Digital Leeds, Leeds Caring Hands has been working towards better understanding the digital needs of their local community. They have also accessed devices and connectivity to deliver digital drop-in sessions for both patients and the local community run by volunteers at the practice.

Leeds Caring Hands

Leeds Caring Hands launched North Leeds Medical Practice’s Patient Participation Group (PPG) in 2016 to befriend and support lonely, elderly, and vulnerable patients at North Leeds Medical Practice. Funded by the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), volunteers initially visited socially isolated people in their homes.

The group applied to be a charity in 2018 to widen the aims of the organisation and to access other funding sources. They identified a space within the practice and were given permission to use it for their current activities and to expand their offer.

Patient Participation Groups are made up of patients from the local community who work together to discuss how their GP practice is functioning and feedback to the practice on what they can do to improve. The PPG functions as a bridge between the patients and the practice. They meet regularly, complete surveys, offer advice and suggestions, and aim to improve the quality of care offered to the community served by the practice.

“Our role is to offer a patient’s perspective and views on the practice’s services. To deliver high quality and locally relevant care, it’s important for our GPs to include us, their patients, in decision making about the services they offer, and evaluate how well they work for patients.”
North Leeds Medical Practice PPG

Run by patients for patients, Leeds Caring Hands provides a variety of activities to support people with their emotional, physical and mental wellbeing. Weekly activities include table tennis, art and crafts, games, ping pong, puzzles and digital skills support. In 2023 they were awarded The Kings Award for Voluntary and Community Service, which is equivalent to an MBE and is the highest honour awarded to voluntary groups.

Embedding digital inclusion support

100% Digital Leeds has worked in partnership with Leeds Caring Hands since 2020, delivering digital inclusion awareness workshops to their volunteers to help them to understand the needs of the group and support patients in overcoming barriers to digital inclusion.

Leeds Caring Hands identified a need amongst patients to support with digital health tools including Patchs, which North Leeds Medical Practice has adopted for patients to manage appointments, order prescriptions, and engage with the practice digitally.

With support from 100% Digital Leeds, Leeds Caring Hands set up regular Zoom sessions for patients during COVID, including a quiz and a chat group to support social connections. The group further developed their digital skills and confidence, combatting social isolation by using WhatsApp to chat and feel connected. This was one example of wider digital inclusion activities being led by the group’s personal priorities alongside digital health.

100% Digital Leeds supported Leeds Caring Hands to access funding in 2021 which enabled them to get connectivity for the space they use within the practice. This now provides free wifi for patients and has enabled Leeds Caring Hands to embed digital skills support within their activities.

“We were successful with a funding bid from Halifax to get tablets and wifi to use within the PPG group, to help people learn basic digital skills. When Patchs was launched at the practice, we realised there was a greater need for digital support, and we needed to go much further to widen the area that we covered beyond the PPG. With support from 100% Digital Leeds, we were able to access further funding to get more tablets to develop our digital drop-in sessions for the wider community.”
Beverley Kite, Chair, Leeds Caring Hands

Developing the digital inclusion offer

In January 2025, Leeds Caring Hands identified a need to recruit more volunteers to deliver their digital skills support. They contacted Voluntary Action Leeds who suggested they advertise for volunteers via the Be Collective website. As a result, they successfully recruited several digital support volunteers including Jasmine, David, and Tony who now deliver the weekly digital drop-ins.

“I saw the volunteering opportunity and the number of awards the charity had got and all the amazing work they were doing, and I wanted to be part of it. It’s such a great feeling to be able to help and support people, it makes me proud to support such a lovely charity with such lovely people”.
Tony, Digital Support Volunteer, Leeds Caring Hands

Initially the volunteers designed a six-week digital skills course which covered a range of themes including basic digital skills, entertainment, WhatsApp and social media, using apps, how to use a tablet and phone, support with using the NHS app and Patchs.

After the first session it was apparent many people were attending to receive digital support for a wide range of needs, the majority needing support with Patchs and managing their appointments.

“Some people have been anxious with new digital tools launching in the practice, such as Patchs, that they have no option but to learn how to use. This means that they have come to the sessions with a different attitude than they would have if they were wanting to learn how to use digital for fun. The volunteers take a holistic approach in supporting people. They give them the time and space to do this at their own pace, and show them more things they can do online that they are interested in, which has been great.”
Beverley Kite, Chair, Leeds Caring Hands

Taking a person-centred approach

The volunteers decided to adapt the six-week course to be more informal and offer it as a weekly digital drop-in. People could bring their own devices, or use the tablets on site, and get help with the things they wanted to learn.

“We find taking a casual approach is working well, trying new things without it being formal, being flexible and adapting to need. The drop-ins are now led by need rather than a fixed series of sessions.”
David, Digital Support Volunteer, Leeds Caring Hands

Each session includes refreshments and many of the attendees are referred from the practice. People have the option to attend more than once to develop their digital skills and confidence. Many are now regular attendees and look forward to learning something new each time. With Patchs support, volunteers have found people feel more reassured and confident after going through it multiple times and they have built trusted relationships.

“Many people need support with how to make an appointment and make repeat prescriptions with Patchs. I go through this with them, show them, and then ask them to repeat the exercises so I know they can do it without my help. Then they feel confident to do it at home outside of the sessions. It’s nice to see people return each week to keep developing their skills and see their confidence grow.”
Tony, Digital Support Volunteer, Leeds Caring Hands

“I couldn’t log into Patchs before, but with David’s help it makes so much more sense, and me and my husband feel so much more confident in using Patchs.”
Service User, Leeds Caring Hands

Many of the attendees bring their own devices and the volunteers support people with using their own phones, how to do internet searches, how to download apps on to their devices and more. There are three or four volunteers at each session to offer one-to-one support because each person who attends has different needs. This means the volunteers can take a person-centred approach and tailor their support depending on the skills and needs of the person.

“We ask people what they’re interested in, and what matters to them, so we can let them know how digital can benefit them. Chatting about apps that link to their interests and that can complement their life.”
Tony, Digital Support Volunteer, Leeds Caring Hands

The volunteers at Leeds Caring Hands have adapted their sessions to offer a wide range of support depending on the needs of the patients. This has included showing people how to connect to the free wifi in the practice and elsewhere to save on mobile data costs, and helping people to use FaceTime and social media to stay in touch with friends and family.

The tablets on site give people the opportunity to take their first steps with digital, develop their existing digital skills, and understand what more they could do online.

“When people who don’t have a device come to the sessions, we use the tablets to give them a light introduction to digital. This is fun and informal and is led by what they’re interested in.”
David, Digital Support Volunteer, Leeds Caring Hands

“Many of our attendees are older and many have English as a second language. I speak slowly and take my time showing them how to navigate and use the devices. Sometimes I show them practical exercises rather than talking it through, which works better for some people. We get asked for all kinds of digital support, and we’re able to adapt and support people with whatever they need.”
Tony, Digital Support Volunteer, Leeds Caring Hands

One attendee had received a letter telling him that he needed to login to his home insurance to renew his account or it would be cancelled. He was very anxious and was unsure how to do this. He came to the digital drop-in, and the volunteers helped him. He was able to create an account, log in and renew his insurance, as well as finding the telephone number for the company via an internet search to be able to ring them in future. He was reassured by the volunteers that the group would be there for him if he needed to go over any of it again.

“The volunteers bring their individual personalities, all of them have empathy for other people. They are nice people who don’t put any pressure on the people they are helping. They take their time. If people want to have a one-to-one chat they can do, or they can get help in a group setting, and they can come back as many times as they need until they feel confident.

People have come into the sessions not always wanting to use the digital health tools. But when they know how to use them, they feel pleased with themselves, they feel like they’ve achieved something. If they go away feeling better, happier, and more confident then we have succeeded.”
Beverley Kite, Chair, Leeds Caring Hands

Partnership working

The digital inclusion support offered by Leeds Caring Hands follows the 100% Digital Leeds community based approach to digital inclusion. Providing support at a place people feel safe, to do the things that are important to them, at the right pace for them. Working in partnership with the practice and the local community, Leeds Caring Hands has increased awareness of the sessions and the digital offer for patients.

After hearing from patients that more support was needed around frauds and scams, and that many were worried about going online because of this, Leeds Caring Hands partnered with Virgin Money. Virgin Money offered to deliver digital skills sessions to help people understand more about the risks involved in being online and how to spot potential scams and avoid them. This was well received, and the group are planning future sessions around Online Banking and Online Shopping. They’ve also been able to signpost patients to Virgin Money for free data SIMs via the National Databank, and use the 100% Digital Leeds Community Support Directory to signpost people to further digital inclusion support across the city depending on their needs.

Digital inclusion research

Leeds Caring Hands is currently involved in The Include Study, a research project being delivered by The University of Leeds, Age UK Leeds, and Bradford Teaching Hospitals.

The study is examining:

How many older people go online
Who is more likely to use digital
What would help people who find it difficult or don’t use digital

The aims and objectives of the study are to:

Develop an inclusive way of identifying older people who are digitally excluded
Explore older people’s views of the internet and what might help them get online
Adapt available digital support so it addresses a wide range of needs
Test this new approach with a group of older people

It is hoped that the results of the research will help Leeds Caring Hands to reach more older people, and enable them to continue to adapt and develop their offer to meet the needs of their community.

Next steps

The group at Leeds Caring Hands are keen to develop the six-week programme of digital skills sessions with support from 100% Digital Leeds. They want to look at how basic digital skills can be positioned as an enabler for an individual’s interests and priorities, such as travel, saving money, or staying connected to friends and family. Having identified the key things that people need most support with, they will deliver these as themed sessions in a group setting to encourage peer support and social connections.

The group has expanded their digital drop-ins to more than once a week, and they will continue to look at ways to expand their digital volunteer team. 100% Digital Leeds is working with Leeds Caring Hands to share their approach to digital inclusion across their Primary Care Network and with other PPG Groups across the city.

“It’s so uplifting to see people walk out with a smile on their face.”
Beverley Kite, Chair, Leeds Caring Hands

Combatting data poverty in partnership with Jangala

100% Digital Leeds has partnered with technology charity Jangala to support Leeds residents on low incomes to access wifi in their homes, free of charge. Jangala’s Get Box UK programme, in partnership with Virgin Media O2, supplies community organisations with free ‘plug in and go’ wifi solutions to distribute to people unable to afford wifi.

“Get Box has proved to be an invaluable resource. For people with limited resources making it difficult to afford internet access, this was definitely a lifesaver.”

Community Ambition CIC

Get Boxes provide 25GB of connectivity per month for twelve months. The boxes are powered by a VMO2 SIM card and can be used anywhere that has access to mains power and mobile phone signal. To date more than 30 community organisations have signed up to the scheme. Current partners include St Anne’s, Leeds Refugee Forum, Gipsil, and Community Ambition.

100% Digital Leeds and Jangala are keen to partner with more community organisations to support people experiencing data poverty to access free wifi in their homes.

“We at Jangala always want to work with and support local community groups and charities that are helping those at the sharp end of digital exclusion. 100% Digital Leeds has connected us with groups around the city who are doing remarkable work for the people of Leeds, and we hope that our technology can play a part in helping people to thrive online.”

Samantha Neville, UK Programme Manager at Jangala.

Combatting data poverty

Jangala is a technology charity working internationally, with the goal of connecting four million digitally excluded people to the internet by 2030. Originally starting out at the refugee camp in Calais, Jangala has expanded to take an additional focus on digital poverty across the UK by partnering with third sector organisations and local authorities to distribute Get Boxes to households struggling to pay their broadband or mobile data bill.

Digital exclusion and poverty go hand in hand, Fabian society analysis of Ofcom data found that households with very low incomes were twice as likely to be without internet access. Research from Citizen’s Advice suggests that in 2023 as many as one million people cut off their broadband as the cost-of-living crisis left them unable to afford internet access.

Being offline compounds poverty. Shopping online is often a lot cheaper, with research showing that people purchasing online save around 25% on average per transaction. In addition, lack of internet access puts people at a strong disadvantage while looking for work, as 90% of all jobs are solely advertised on the internet. This means people without access to the internet are being pushed further into deep poverty.

The benefits of Get Box

Get Boxes are a simple and efficient way for organisations to support their service users with free wifi at home for 12 months:

Get Boxes are free of charge to both organisations and their service users.
Get Boxes can be used anywhere that has access to mains power and mobile phone signal.
Community organisations can distribute Get Boxes to anyone who is struggling to afford wifi at home.
100% Digital Leeds can visit organisations with a tester Get Box to demonstrate how it works and to test the phone signal in their location.
Organisations can request as few or as many Get Boxes as they require, and order more if needed.
Get Boxes are quick and easy to set up, and Jangala have provided instructions in video and manual form, in English, Arabic, Spanish, French and large text format, as well as a dedicated support section on their website.
Where people might struggle to set up the device themselves, Get Box can be set up by the charity before they hand it out. Get Box then just needs to be plugged in at home and in two minutes the wifi will start working.
It’s simple to connect a device to the Get Box wifi. The password and a QR code are printed on the box of each Get Box.
Organisations can contact Jangala for technical support if needed.
Users of the Get Box can view how much data they have left for the month by connecting their device to the Get Box and scanning the QR code on the box they are using or going to http://config.getbox.home.
Jangala understands that some Get Boxes may get broken or go missing. If this happens there is no consequence to the community organisation who has distributed Get Box, or the service user it has been provided to.

100% Digital Leeds’s partnership with Jangala

100% Digital Leeds is supporting Jangala to connect with local organisations who support digitally excluded people across the city, making it as simple as possible for charities to ensure those most in need are able to get online at home.

The 100% Digital Leeds team has worked with Jangala to define a referral process for VCSE organisations that would like to lend Get Boxes to their service users.

100% Digital Leeds works with community organisations to:

Demonstrate Get Box and how it works.
Explain Jangala’s offer and their requirements for partnership.
Ensure the Get Box offer fits with the organisation’s wider digital inclusion offer.
Ensure wraparound support is in place.

To date 100% Digital Leeds and Jangala have supported more than 30 community organisations across the city to distribute Get Boxes to Leeds residents unable to afford wifi. This list includes small community organisations and city wide and regional charities, supporting low-income individuals experiencing data poverty.

Gipsil are distributing Get Boxes via their Engage Leeds Employment and Engagement Service. The service helps people explore job opportunities, education, and training, providing tailored support with CV writing, job applications, finding work experience, volunteering, and accessing learning opportunities. 100% Digital Leeds has also supported Gipsil to access a grant from AWS to buy laptops to gift to service users alongside the Get Boxes.

Otley Action For Older People have placed Get Boxes in communal areas in social housing, free for any residents to use, as well as making them available for the regular digital sessions delivered by their Digital Inclusion worker. Residents have been accessing the wifi to call relatives across the world, use the NHS app, and the communal space has given residents the opportunity to get together and teach each other digital skills such as how to use WhatsApp.

‘Our Community Wifi’: Jangala’s Big Box Scheme

Jangala have recently launched a pilot programme in the UK, Our Community Wifi, to provide organisations with a Big Box. This is a larger, more powerful box designed to provide wifi to community centres that have a large footfall. The Big Box can connect 1,000 users at one time with unlimited wifi. 100% Digital Leeds has supported organisations to apply for this opportunity alongside Get Boxes. Applications for a Big Box are open until midnight on Sunday 4 May 2025.

How your organisation can partner with Jangala

If you are a community organisation in Leeds interested in Get Boxes or a Big Box, or would like support with your organisation’s digital inclusion offer, please contact 100% Digital Leeds.

Partner profile: Leeds Irish Health and Homes

Leeds Irish Health and Homes has been providing services to the Irish and wider community in Leeds for over 29 years. Their services range from outreach support to regular lunch clubs, tea dances, health and wellbeing support, digital inclusion support, bereavement, and mental health support. They have worked in partnership with 100% Digital Leeds for over five years.

With a successful funding bid from the Emigrant Support Programme in 2020 they were able to recruit a Community Digital Inclusion Officer. The demand for digital inclusion support has increased across the Irish communities in Leeds, and Leeds Irish Health and Homes have continued to expand and build upon their digital inclusion offer. With successful funding from Leeds Digital Inclusion Fund they recruited a second digital inclusion role within their team. This has enabled them to expand their reach and capacity to deliver a wide range of digital skills sessions on a weekly and monthly basis at different locations across Leeds.

In response to the increased demand for support, they have recently relocated to a new site in Harehills, giving them greater opportunity to expand their service offer and reach more service users.

“Seeing people’s digital skills increase is a real sense of empowerment and it gives Leeds Irish Health and Homes a real sense of pride. People are no longer afraid to ask questions, they have achieved both self-belief and achievement in their learning. It’s great to see the difference it’s making to their lives.”

Sarah McBride, Services Manager at Leeds Irish Health and Homes

Taking a person-centred approach to digital skills support

The organisation’s Community Digital Inclusion Officer takes a person-centred approach to digital skills support, adapting sessions to members’ needs.

“It has met a real need. Our learners like to be independent and navigate the digital world. One lady used google maps for her journey to London and was proud that her daughter did not have to meet her from the train because she found the connecting one from Kings Cross. After previously finding maps challenging, she recently announced, ‘I find it easy now, I have to make sure the arrow follows the blue dots!’”

Anne Pearce, Community Digital Inclusion Officer, Leeds Irish Health and Homes.

Leeds Irish Health and Homes has found approaches to supporting digital skills that work to reduce fear, and build confidence and skills with digital technology:

Finding out what people are interested in and tailoring sessions to hobbies, interests, and personal motivations.
Avoiding jargon, taking the time explaining step by step instructions, making notes, repeating new skills, and learning.
Explaining the difference between Android and Apple devices, like that of cars. Mercedes and Kia are both different types of cars, but both get you ‘from A to B’. Similarly with different types of devices, both give you access to the online world.
Using real life examples when explaining digital instructions, such as comparing settings on a smartphone to an engine of a car, and a password being similar to a key to a house. You have many keys for your house, car, windows, and similarly you need to creating different passwords for different things to stay safe. If you want to make your door more secure you may use a second lock. In digital, two factor authentication is like a second lock.

“Many of our members get digital help from family members, but they end up doing tasks for them as a quick fix. In our sessions people can develop their digital skills and confidence, increasing independence in a safe, supportive environment.”

Anne Pearce, Community Digital Inclusion Officer, Leeds Irish Health and Homes.

Many sessions are focused on getting the most out of using a smartphone, covering content such as adding contacts to the address book, using WhatsApp, adding shop loyalty cards to the Apple wallet, looking at clothing websites and learning how to use filters to limit choice by colour, size, or occasion. Digital inclusion guides and resources are used in the sessions and can be printed so members can take these home afterwards.

“One member supported was a gentleman in his early 90s and he had a number of health needs and mobility issues. We chatted about the cost of living, he was unaware that he could apply for Attendance Allowance and a Blue Badge. My colleague and I supported him in submitting an Attendance Allowance claim and a Blue Badge request. He was incredibly grateful and said the extra money would make a huge difference to his standard of living. He no longer needed to worry about putting on his heating. Even though he no longer drives, the Blue Badge means that when he goes out with his family, they’re able to park near venues so he doesn’t have to walk too far. It’s made such a difference to him”.

Anne Pearce, Community Digital Inclusion Officer, Leeds Irish Health and Homes.

Embedding digital inclusion across the wider programme

Alongside their digital skills sessions, Leeds Irish Health and Homes has embedded digital inclusion across their service offer, introducing digital in an informal way to increase confidence and motivation. They use iPads and VR within their reminiscence sessions, and use iPads to introduce arts and culture apps in their social activities. Using styluses with the iPads enables people to draw on the tablets expressing their creativity in a fun, interactive way.

In response to high demand for support with using digital health apps, Leeds Irish Health and Homes developed digital health drop in sessions, helping people use tools such as Patchs, NHS app and Pharmacy First to order their prescriptions and manage appointments. Using how to guides and step-by-step instructions helps people to understand how to navigate the tools at their own pace, and the guides can be referred to at home.

“We take a holistic approach to supporting people with their digital skills, finding out what motivates and matters most to them. There are so many things people can do online that they don’t always know are available. People have used Google Maps to see where they used to live and places that bring back memories. Many have been able to watch Mass services online when the weather is bad. The internet is great for fact finding. One of our digital members found out that his hometown of Killybegs supplied a carpet to the US White House, and another used a tablet to find out how to peel the outer layer off a lemon pip using YouTube, and he’s grown his own tree!

Anne Pearce, Community Digital Inclusion Officer, Leeds Irish Health and Homes.

Partnership working

Leeds Irish Health and Homes has developed a number of partnerships with other organisations, delivering digital skills support alongside:

“It has been great to work closely with other organisations supporting digital inclusion, bouncing ideas, and sharing information and resources. We’ve chatted lots about our delivery approaches, methods and shared tips, supporting each other with planning sessions and working collaboratively on monitoring and reporting”.

Anne Pearce, Community Digital Inclusion Officer, Leeds Irish Health and Homes.

The partnership digital skills sessions have had a variety of themes including digital health, booking holidays, online banking, Irish passport applications, and energy saving.

“I found that I can now download the Loop app for my smart meter display!”

“It’s amazing how much I can now save on my bills, I didn’t realise there was so many options to compare.”

“I found out it’s cheaper to use my slow cooker instead of my oven, I need to do this more!”

Feedback from digital skills session attendees.

Working in partnership with Virgin Money, Leeds Irish Health and Homes has delivered digital support sessions themed around online banking, including support with registering online, using banking apps and managing accounts. Many of the attendees were in their 80s and expressed how much more confident they felt in using online banking after the sessions, as they could check their balances and transfer money safely.

Leeds Irish Health and Homes has an iPad lending scheme where they lend tablets to those without a device to let them ‘try before they buy’. The organisation finds out what people are most interested in and downloads apps on to the iPads that link to their hobbies and interests such as games, music and Google earth.

“It’s amazing where an iPad can take you, and how it can help you feel more connected and contacted to home.”

Member at Leeds Irish Health and Homes.

Delivering the BOSS (Be Online Stay Safe) project

The BOSS (Be Online Stay Safe) project supports older people who were currently not online due to a lack of confidence and skills, as well as those who are already online but who may not be aware of online safety measures. Alongside the project delivery partners, Leeds Irish Health and Homes delivered six core sessions which were focused on key themes:

Phone settings
Sending and receiving emails
Internet searching
Managing health online
Media literacy online safety
Translation tools

With support from the Mayor’s Safer Communities Fund Leeds Irish Health and Homes has continued to deliver BOSS digital skills sessions. They use the BOSS resources in their luncheon clubs to raise awareness of online scams in an informal environment, talking people through the ways they can stay safe. They partnered with West Yorkshire Police and they invited the Prevent and Protect Delivery Officer to increase people’s confidence and skills in identifying phishing emails and incorrect information online.

“We try to challenge the common misconception that only ‘stupid people’ fall for scams, it can happen to anyone. Through the sessions we have helped people understand how to avoid scams, stay safe, and feel more confident in being online.”

Anne Pearce, Community Digital Inclusion Officer, Leeds Irish Health and Homes.

Delivering the Transport Connections project

Leeds Irish Health and Homes worked in partnership with Leeds Older Peoples Forum and 100% Digital Leeds on the Transport Connections project. As part of the project, they identified that many of their service users were without a suitable device to download and use travel apps. In response they used project funding to purchase smartphones to gift to service users in need. 4G data sims via the National Databank were also provided with the smartphones, enabling service users to download travel apps and use digital tools that could help people stay in touch with family, friends, and services.

After identifying the support needed by their service users, Leeds Irish Health and Homes designed a four-week course themed around using bus apps, with the fourth session ending with a practical exercise of booking a ticket and making a journey. The sessions reduced older people’s fears around making journeys using travel apps and increased their independence in navigating the city. Older people felt more confident in using the First Bus and Arriva apps, including to plan journeys to Harrogate, Scarborough, and Saltaire.

Leeds Irish Health and Homes has continued to run these sessions beyond the end of the project, embedding this support into their regular drop in sessions using the resources developed.

“I thoroughly enjoyed visiting Saltaire, York, and Leeds using the bus and train apps. This morning, I did not stand at the bus stop in the rain. I waited in the comfort of my home, tracking the bus on my app and went out a couple of minutes before the bus was due.”

Member at Leeds Irish Health and Homes.

Next Steps

Leeds Irish Health and Homes has a new location at Broom Hill Health Centre which will give the organisation opportunities to reach new audiences, with increased space and resource. They are continuing to work in partnership with 100% Digital Leeds and are keen to expand their current digital inclusion offer. They are currently seeking funding to recruit a third digital inclusion worker to meet demand, and increase their capacity to deliver digital inclusion support across the city.

Digital Inclusion in Primary Care

100% Digital Leeds is working in partnership with the Primary Care Transformation team in Leeds to enable digital inclusion to be embedded into their delivery plan for recovering access to primary care, and in the implementation of digital tools such as the NHS App and Patchs.

Described as the front door to the NHS, Primary Care is the first point of contact with healthcare services for most people.  The use of digital tools can make it easier to access Primary Care services and can give people greater control over their health and care, reducing health inequalities. But unless these benefits are shared by everyone, they can also deepen existing health inequalities and create additional barriers.

The Primary Care Transformation and Improvement Team (PCTI) have been leading improvements as part of the delivery plan for recovering access to primary care with the following actions and outputs:

Increase the use of the NHS App and other digital channels to enable more patients to access their prospective medical records (including test results) and to manage their repeat prescriptions.

Increase the number of self-referrals across appropriate services.

Expand the uptake of Pharmacy First services.

Implementation of highly usable and accessible online journeys for patients.

Complete implementation of faster care navigation, assessment, and response.

Make online registration available in all practices.

100% Digital Leeds worked with the Primary Care Transformation Team to deliver a collaborative NHS App webinar for staff to increase awareness of the features and benefits of the app and to increase understanding of digital inclusion and exclusion. Alongside this the team has delivered digital inclusion awareness workshops with individual Primary Care Network teams to increase confidence and skills of the workforce.

100% Digital Leeds has worked with Primary Care teams to develop screening questions to support staff to have conversations with patients around their digital inclusion needs and signposting them to existing support via the Community Support Directory. Many Primary Care Networks in Leeds are also exploring the opportunity of joining the National Databank to gift data SIMs to patients with low or no internet access.

To increase capacity in delivering digital health support, 100% Digital Leeds has partnered with Virgin Media O2, supporting their Connect More Digital Skills Programme to be piloted in GP Practices across Leeds. Resources and ‘how to’ guides have been developed to support patients with increasing their skills and confidence in using digital health tools.

Working with Primary Care to embed digital inclusion into the rollout of NHS App and Patchs

Increasing skills and confidence

To support the implementation and rollout of the NHS App the Primary Care Transformation Team in Leeds collaborated with 100% Digital Leeds to deliver a NHS app webinar for staff followed by a North East & Yorkshire NHS App Back to Basics Refresher Training session. This was an opportunity for staff to hear more about the benefits and features of the App and increasing their confidence and skills in promoting and offering the App.

Following the webinar 100% Digital Leeds connected with individual Primary Care Networks and delivered a series of digital inclusion awareness workshops. The workshops help staff to have positive digital inclusion conversations with patients to:

Raise awareness of the digital tools and services available.
Help patients better understand the potential benefits of using digital tools and services.
Signpost patients to digital inclusion support at trusted locations in the city, via the 100% Digital Leeds Community Support Directory

100% Digital Leeds worked with GP practices to adapt and tailor the digital inclusion awareness workshops to their individual needs. Where capacity was an issue for practice staff, thirty-minute bitesize sessions were offered across lunchtime slots to maximise attendance. Longer, more interactive workshop sessions were offered where practices were already bringing teams together for monthly ‘TARGET’ training sessions.

“The training has been super useful. I feel more excited about offering this to patients now and can see the real benefits. It’s good knowing where in the community is offering support such as free data and devices, I can now share this with my patients.”

Clinician at Lingwell Croft Medical Practice.

Increasing understanding of patients’ digital inclusion needs

100% Digital Leeds is working with Primary Care teams to trial the use of digital inclusion specific patient screening questions, helping staff to have conversations with patients around their digital inclusion needs. Asking the right questions can help staff to better understand the patient’s needs, identify any additional barriers, and help them to make an informed choice about how they access services. After asking these questions, clinicians can use 100% Digital Leeds’s Community Support Directory to identify the right support for each patient.

Patients are asked questions when offered digital tools, and these questions can be used by clinicians within existing interactions. The questions revolve around three areas:

Fact Finding: what is already used and what are the barriers?

What digital equipment do you have or currently use? (if any)

If you don’t currently use digital, why not?

2. Raising Awareness: what is available and what are the personal benefits? 

Did you know you can use the NHS app to order your prescriptions?

Would you like to hear more about how you could save time when making appointments?

3. Next steps: what support is needed and where to get this support.

If you were to use these (digital tools), what support would you need?

Do you know where you can get digital support in the community?

Increasing access to devices and data

100% Digital Leeds is supporting Primary Care Networks (PCN’s) to join the National Databank to gift data SIM cards to patients with low or no internet access. The SIM cards come with free 4G data, texts, and calls.  100% Digital Leeds is working with teams to identify the staff best placed to manage SIM gifting, including those staff who are having conversations about the digital inclusion needs of patients, and those who can signpost to further digital skills support if needed alongside a SIM card. Social Prescribing teams and the Primary Care ARRS roles within the PCN’s have been found to be particularly well placed to gift SIM cards. Where patients don’t have access to a digital device the teams are using the 100% Digital Leeds Community Support Directory to signpost patients to organisations lending or gifting devices.

Increasing capacity to deliver digital inclusion support

100% Digital Leeds has partnered with Virgin Media O2 (VMO2), as part of their Connect More Digital Skills Programme to be piloted in GP Practices across Leeds. The programme enables staff to use their employer supported volunteering hours to deliver digital drop-in sessions within Primary Care settings, to help people to use digital health tools. Each staff volunteer taking part in the programme completes Digital Unite’s Digital Champion training prior to the sessions, and is offered the opportunity of a variety of sessions at different GP Practices in Leeds.

100% Digital Leeds has coordinated the sessions based on individual practice’s implementation plans for the rollout of Patchs and the NHS App, identifying practices that would benefit from hosting these sessions, offering opportunities for patients to access digital support and gain greater awareness of the tools alongside the timeline of the practice’s digital launches. 100% Digital Leeds worked with VMO2 to tailor the sessions to the individual practice’s needs, co-producing a guide for practices to support with preparation and promotion.

The first sessions were piloted with Diamond Medical Group within the Central North Primary Care Network. Patients received one-to-one support with signing up for the NHS App, ordering prescriptions, accessing Patchs, and managing their appointments. 35 patients were supported in the first two sessions, with positive feedback from both practices and patients.

“Without someone to help me, there’s no way I could have done it on my own. It was nice to have someone to sit with me and show me how to use it. It’s made it feel so much more understandable, I struggle to remember things so having the How To… guide helps me go back to what I’ve learnt today.”

Patient supported with the NHS App at a digital drop-in session at North Leeds Medical Practice.

After the success of the pilot, 100% Digital Leeds is coordinating the next series of sessions with VMO2 at practices within the York Road Primary Care Network, supporting their launch of Patchs.