Improving Digital Inclusion

Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Housing and Local Government – in the Senedd at 3:00 pm on 27 March 2019.

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Photo of Julie James Julie James Labour 3:00, 27 March 2019

I certainly do. Digital inclusion can have a significant impact on people's health outcomes by helping them take control of their health and care, or helping to reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation. It can give them a medium through which they can communicate with others in the most comfortable way and access online services and resources to support their mental health in what can be a very beneficial and helpful way. I didn't know about the app. I'm very pleased to hear about it, and I'm sure that it will have a very good effect for those people who are using it.

We must also, as he said, be mindful of the risks and dangers and the responsibility that we all bear to ensure that people are not exposed to online experiences that can have severely detrimental effects on mental health. Through Digital Communities Wales we are providing a vital co-ordination role in communities, to help people with their motivation, access and skills, to be able to improve their lives through digital technology. The programme works with mental health charities to improve the digital skills of people experiencing mental health issues and to give them the resilience and techniques to withstand some of the experiences that we know can happen, while also accessing the online services that we know can be very helpful.

We want to ensure that our citizens have the basic digital skills needed to be able to make those informed choices, and that's why the training includes tips on how to stay safe, as I say. I'm very pleased that we've just announced the awarding of the contract for health services and for digital inclusion across Wales. That programme will be able to assist people who find themselves both in hospital and in other care settings to access digital services online, and to give them the skills they need to develop that.