Bridging the digital health divide in Tower Hamlets

By Zakia Sheba, Senior Project Manager, ELBA’s Community team

ELBA support and facilitate a range of digital skills sessions across east London. These activities form part of our Digital Inclusion programme that aims to support the community through digital skills sessions.

The objective behind these sessions is to empower the community members, enabling independent access to digital applications and devices. This is a great way generate a social opportunity to reduce isolation and loneliness, and social disconnection as a result.

In collaboration with Tower Hamlets Primary Care Network, ELBA has hosted several Doctor Digital events. The event offers free, one-to-one assistance for residents to download the NHS App and register with the Patients Know Best portal, empowering them to reorder prescriptions, view blood test results and access correspondence from Barts Health. This initiative sits within a wider digital inclusion strategy that aims to dismantle barriers around access and skills, especially among older and vulnerable communities.

Combined with events like Doctor Digital, these programmes significantly benefit Tower Hamlets residents. Attendees gain practical instructions on using health portals, while volunteers from ELBA provide ongoing mentorship, improving digital literacy, enhancing engagement with healthcare and ultimately reducing social isolation.

Together, Tower Hamlets Council’s outreach events and ELBA’s volunteer-led digital inclusion initiatives are building digital confidence, widening access to vital services, and fostering a more connected, empowered community.

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