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The ‘Widening Digital Participation’ programme has been shortlisted for the Cross-Sector Collaboration award at this year’s Digital Leaders 100 event.

The programme develops projects that enable thousands of people in England to improve their digital health skills and to increase their access to digital services and tools that support their health and care. It is delivered in partnership with third-sector organisation, Good Things Foundation.

20 local pathfinder projects are set to be delivered over three years, across all four NHS regions. The projects will develop and pilot targeted approaches to tackling digital exclusion – particularly amongst the most vulnerable and hard to reach groups.

These projects range from high street digital hubs to enable sharing of digital health skills between younger and older people to projects that support homeless people to use technology to take charge of their own health and interact more confidently with healthcare professionals.

Nicola Gill, Programme Lead for Widening Digital Participation at NHS Digital said, “I am particularly proud of the nomination in this category because we really believe that partnership working is the best way to learn about and connect with socially and digitally excluded people.

“We have worked hard in our pathfinder projects to bring together all the people who are working every day with hard-to-reach groups and who really understand the challenges and barriers to digital participation that people in their communities are facing.”

Helen Milner, Chief Executive at Good Things Foundation said, “Our Widening Digital Participation programme with NHS Digital is an ambitious and innovative project that is testing new approaches to supporting people to use digital to improve their health and wellbeing.

“Through our Pathfinder projects, we're already having a huge impact, working with excluded groups to design approaches that really work for them. We're delighted that this project has been recognised through the Digital Leaders Awards”

To vote for the programme, visit here: https://www.digileaders100.com/

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Notes to editors

1. NHS Digital is the national information and technology partner of the health and care system.  Our team of information analysis, technology and project management experts create, deliver and manage the crucial digital systems, services, products and standards upon which health and care professionals depend.  During the 2017/18 financial year, NHS Digital published 275 statistical reports. Our vision is to harness the power of information and technology to make health and care better.
2. Good Things Foundation is a digital and social inclusion charity with the aim of a world where everyone can benefit from digital. The organisation helps people to overcome social challenges, building a digitally included society and supporting people to grow their essential skills. Good Things Foundation supports the 5,000 strong Online Centres Network - a network of community organisations that help people to improve their digital skills, and to overcome other barriers to inclusion. 
3. For media enquiries please contact media@nhsdigital.nhs.net or telephone 0300 30 33 888.