What is digital inclusion?

Digital inclusion is our collective responsibility to ensure that everyone can benefit from being online.

To have full digital inclusion, five pillars must be achieved:

• Motivation - to be part of the digital world, understanding the benefits it can bring and free from any fear or barriers; and

• Access to the right device – access to an internet enabled device that is suitable for individual needs and the task in hand; and

• Affordable and reliable connectivity – so that the device can be connected to the internet; and

• Skills and confidence – to navigate the internet, keeping safe online, to explore and engage in online activities; and

• Inclusive design – once online, spaces are well designed so that everyone can use them.

In the context of digital health and care, digital inclusion involves collective responsibility of organisations to ensure that where people choose to engage in digital services and resources, they have the support they need to access and use these as part of person-centred care.

Illustration credit: Tessa Mackenzie

You can find out more about how we define digital inclusion in a health and social care context in this paper - From Pillars to Practice: Developing a framework for embedding digital inclusion in health and social care.