Digital Communities Wales – Digital Confidence, Health and Well-being

Ten percent of people in Wales are not online, and as more vital public services move online, they risk being left behind. Digital Communities Wales exists to reduce digital exclusion so that everyone in Wales has the skills, access and motivation to be a confident, safe user of digital technology.

The programme works with Third and Public Sector bodies and large Private Sector organisations, including health and care providers, partnering with all 7 Welsh Health Boards to support clinical staff in developing digital skills as 'digital champions', link health, care and social-service organisations with community partners, and build a Digital Health Information Network of community providers offering face-to-face support. Examples include a care home and local schools introducing residents to technologies such as YouTube and virtual reality, and, in response to Covid-19, rolling out digital devices to care homes to help older people stay connected.

No formal evaluation was conducted. Case studies describe qualitative outcomes, such as care-home residents being introduced to new technologies, but no quantified reach or impact figures are published beyond the '10% not online' context statistic.

Digital Communities Wales positions itself as a system-wide partnership model connecting Third, Public and Private sector organisations, Welsh Health Boards and community providers to reduce digital exclusion, with particular focus on the health and care sector.