Wales Co-operative Centre – Written Evidence (LOL0098)
The Wales Co-operative Centre is a not-for-profit co-operative organisation that supports people in Wales to improve their lives and livelihoods. We are working for a fairer economy. We help to create and retain wealth within our communities through the growth of cooperatives and social businesses and by providing people with the skills to take more control of their own lives and strengthen their communities. Our Digital Communities Wales: Digital Confidence, Health and Well-being project works with organisations across Wales, in order to help people increase their confidence using digital technology so they can improve and manage their health and well-being.
How will any long-term increase in reliance on digital technology change the way in which health services are accessed?
There is evidence that the Covid-19 crisis has exacerbated existing digital inequalities. This is particularly important in the context of public health. Public Health Wales have stated that digital technology will be at the heart of their approach to improving health and wellbeing, helping them to “predict, prevent and treat ill-health”.
The Public Health Wales 2019 survey suggested that 2/3rds of people in Wales use digital technology to support their health, through finding information about general health (57%), tracking personal health goals (18%) and booking appointments (14%). However, there is significant variation across demographics – while 87% of 16-29 year olds reported using digital technology to support their health, this fell to just 24% of those aged 70 and older. The same survey said that while 84% of people in the least deprived quintile of the Welsh public used digital technology to support their health, this fell to just 51% in the most deprived quintile.
The Covid-19 crisis has exacerbated the need for digital services to manage and support our health. GP practices in Wales have launched a new system of online appointments with doctors and other healthcare professionals, extending video consultations to secondary and community care. It is therefore of crucial importance that those most in need of these services are able to access them and are not digitally excluded.
The work of Digital Communities Wales in care homes in Wales during the pandemic has also highlighted the benefits of being online among the older population. DCW has been working with care homes for many years, but the Covid-19 crisis created an unprecedented and urgent need for our support. Thanks to additional funding from Welsh Government, we have loaned tablet devices to care homes. The tablets come equipped with mobile data, if required, and a range of useful apps. We have delivered training to care home staff so that they can help their residents use the tablet devices. One local GP said:
“Remote video consultations have quickly become a game changer for supporting care home patients during the Covid-19 pandemic. They have proved invaluable for assessing patients in conjunction with physiological measurements taken in the home. Video consultations have helped to initiate treatments promptly and reduce hospital admissions.”
What steps need to be taken to ensure that this does not lead to a long-term increase in loneliness, isolation and mental health issues?
Digital Communities Wales – Digital Confidence, Health and Wellbeing brings older and younger people together to use and enjoy technology. DCW trains up Digital Heroes from schools, colleges and universities, scouts/guides, police cadets and more organisations in how to help others use the internet safely, and links them up with community organisations who have individuals that need support to get online. Everyone benefits – the Heroes learn new skills, people are able to get on the internet, and both parties develop meaningful relationships within their communities.
During lockdown, Digital Communities Wales ran the Hwb project, in which children and young people from across Wales stepped up to share artwork and messages with vulnerable people in the community. More information on this, and the benefits for wellbeing and community connections can be found here: http://www.digitalcommunities.gov.wales/hwb-heroes/
Funding projects like these are an example of the creative interventions that Governments can make to ensure that those who are not able to access the internet are digitally included.
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Will any increasing reliance on digital technology affect the social interactions of different groups – older people, children, people with disabilities, ethnic minorities, home-workers – in different ways? What are the particular social implications for those who cannot, or choose not to, use the internet?
It is clear that some groups are more likely to be impacted in a negative way by an increasing reliance in digital technology.
As previously stated, older people are far more likely to be digitally-excluded than younger people. This is made clear in the Leave “Leave No-one Behind” report published by the Older Peoples’ Commissioner for Wales. They state that digital exclusion has been a significant problem for this demographic during the Covid-19 pandemic because “Without access to the internet, it can be difficult to find information, get answers to questions, and verify what is being reported.” They also found that Internet access brings wider benefits such as allowing them to stay connected with family and friends and access services that have moved online such as food delivery.
There can also be a material impact in terms of not being able to access online-only services or deals. This can lead to a poverty premium that sees digitally-excluded people, who are already found disproportionately among the economically disadvantaged, disadvantaged further by not being able to get online.
The Campaign to End Loneliness has stated that digitally-excluded people are more likely to suffer from isolation and loneliness during the lockdown period. Their recent report, ‘Promising Approaches Revisited’, called for urgent action by governments across the UK to address the growing issue of loneliness. Their report found that well over half (59%) of people surveyed fear they won’t be able to see family and friends at Christmas or other religious festivals, and that people are specifically worried about the impact of this on older people or on people with pre-existing conditions.
Will different parts of the UK be affected differently? Does an increased reliance on digital technology offer opportunities to improve economic wellbeing in different parts of the UK?
There is significant evidence that suggests that Wales is behind other parts of the United Kingdom, in that a higher proportion of people living in Wales are not digitally-included. The 2020 Lloyd’s Bank Consumer Digital Index, based on a dataset of more than one million people across the United Kingdom, found that 50% of people in Wales fall into the Low and Very Low categories of digital inclusion – the highest proportion of any nation or region of the United Kingdom. Across the UK, 16% of people do not have the Foundational-level digital-skill, but this rises to 27% for Wales.
This means that Wales, already a part of the United Kingdom that underperforms in terms of measures such as GVA per capita, earnings, and poverty, could be further disadvantaged by an increased reliance on digital technology. However, advances in digital technology and increased levels of digital inclusion have the potential to impact the Welsh economy and communities in a positive way. It is essential that alongside these developments, there is a policy focus on ensuring that those who are digitally-excluded are able to access the new economy.
Do workers have the digital skills that will be needed as jobs change? What additional training is required to ensure that the workforce is equipped with digital skills?
The 2020 Lloyd’s Bank Consumer Digital Index looked at Foundation skills: seven fundamental tasks needed to use the internet safely. Across the UK, 16% of people do not have the Foundational-level digital-skill, but this rises to 27% for Wales. A third of people in Wales lack the ‘essential digital skills’ needed for working online; these are Communicating, Transacting, Problem Solving, Handling Information and Content, and Being Safe and Legal Online.
The latest available Ofcom data on adults’ media use suggests that over 15% of adults in Wales are non-users, and a further 27% can be described as ‘limited users’ – meaning a total of 42%. This means that even among those who are not entirely digitally-excluded, more needs to be done to ensure they have the skills and confidence necessary to participate in the post-Covid digital economy.
In order to maximise the opportunities offered by an increasing reliance on digital technology, is there a case for greater investment and faster roll-out of broadband?
Connectivity has been identified as one of the key barriers to digital inclusion. There is significant regional disparity in the quality of digital connectivity across Wales, with average broadband download speeds in rural Wales at 32Mbit/s, compared to 54Mbit/s in urban Wales. This also showed the gap between Wales and the rest of the UK, who had 43Mbit/s at the rural level and 64Mbit/s at the urban level. This problem can also be found in access to digital learning in schools. During the Covid-19 lockdown, the Welsh Government intervened to ensure all pupils were given the necessary kit to access education from home. However, this did not solve the problems of those children who did not have sufficient access to 4G or Wi-Fi at home.[1]
However, three other key barriers to participation have been identified: Cost (of data as well as devices), Motivation (from not knowing the benefits to using the internet to being worried about safety), and Skills. While infrastructure is vital and investment in expanding access to broadband is necessary, it is not enough to solve digital exclusion on its own. It needs to be done alongside a sustained programme of support to address digital inclusion.
How will any long-term increase in working from home affect both social and economic wellbeing? How will it affect individuals and how will it affect communities and wider society?
For this question, we wish to draw attention to the Live Learning Partnership, of which the Wales Co-operative Centre is a member.
To understand the ongoing impact of the pandemic on individuals, work, the community and the world around us, we need to listen to people’s experiences. That is why the Institute of Welsh Affairs and the Wales Co-operative Centre, alongside 8 other partner organisations, are launching a new initiative to gather these stories using the online storytelling tool Sensemaker®.
This initiative has already discussed its initial findings, which give an indication of the diversity of experiences that people have had while working from home in lockdown. Working from home had a significant impact on people’s lives, both positive and negative. It found that people’s work/life balance had been dramatically affected. Again there were positive and negative examples depending on individual situations. Mental health was a significant issue and while some felt it had improved, many people had major concerns about ‘coping’ with their work and family life.
The principle conclusion that should be taken from this initial research is that far more investigation is necessary to have a deeper and meaningful understanding of the impact that working from home has on mental health and wider society. The key finding from our research so far is that the impact it can have is significant, but diverse.
To what extent is the impact that digital technology has on our wellbeing affected by who owns, and therefore controls access to, that technology? Should digital technology companies have a duty to consider their users’ wellbeing? If so, what would that duty consist of and how would it be regulated?
We are calling for the Welsh Government to take responsibility for ensuring that every household can meet an agreed understanding of what it is to be digitally included in modern Wales. This will require government intervention, but needs engagement with citizens, industry, and the third sector. We are calling for a research period that produces a robust “Minimum Digital Living Standard for Wales”, and the responsibilities this requires of government, business, the third sector and the community as a whole. After this, it is essential that this standard and the responsibilities it gives are understood across Government and wider public life.
11 December 2020