Patients in Bath now have access to personalised support for using technology to manage their health.

This comes after the Royal United Hospitals (RUH) Bath NHS Foundation Trust launched a digital inclusion team.

In the UK, it is estimated four per cent of adults are offline, and millions more struggle with the cost of mobile and broadband access.

Around 8.5 million adults are also thought to lack basic digital skills, making it difficult to navigate everyday life, including accessing healthcare.

The RUH's digital inclusion service aims to improve access to, and experiences of, healthcare.

The service provides bespoke, one-on-one support and encouragement to help patients become more confident with digital health tools.

This includes assistance with wearable technology for monitoring long-term health conditions, accessing health apps or digital appointment letters, understanding relevant websites, and accessing data or Wi-Fi.

Dr Reston Smith, RUH deputy chief medical officer, said: "Our long-term vision is that everyone in our community will have equitable access to and experiences of healthcare.

"However, for many reasons, we know that millions of adults do not have the means or the skills to confidently use digital technology.

"This means there are growing inequalities in people’s experiences, with some finding it harder to access the NHS and tools that could enable them to better manage their health independently.

"I am proud that we have been able to set up our digital inclusion team to help change this."

The team will work closely with patients, providing the necessary support and knowledge to use digital health tools outside of a hospital setting.

The public is invited to meet the team and learn more about using digital health technology as part of Get Online Week, running from October 14 to 20.

The team will be in the atrium of the RUH on October 15 from 11am to 1pm for an informal, drop-in event.

Veronica Kuperman, health inequalities lead, said: "The digitisation of healthcare is advancing at fast speed, and we have the responsibility to ensure that nobody is left behind.

"Our digital inclusion team’s approachable patient access navigators understand that using technology can make some people feel nervous, but also know that with the right support it can really improve someone’s quality of life."

Beyond Get Online Week, patients can ask their care team to refer them to the digital inclusion team.

This can also be requested in advance via a care team, to coincide with an upcoming appointment.