Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG: Digital strategy listening exercise

Our response to this listening exercise focused on sharing feedback that members of the public have shared with us about their experiences of technological innovations in accessing health and care services. These experiences highlighted the challenges and benefits of digital services in primary care as well as how these impact different groups. We therefore emphasized the need for the CCG to ensure that digital means of accessing primacy care services don not replace other means that people engage with services. Digital means should aim to complement other means of delivering care to the people of West Birmingham.

We shared CQC advice on the issues that healthcare organisations need to take into account when considering the use of technology in the delivery of care:

• How will you involve people who use your service in your plans and putting the new technology into use?
• What do the people it will affect need to know to make an informed choice? Do they fully understand the implications of the new technology?
• Who will the technology affect and how will it affect them?
• What outcome do you want to achieve? How will you measure it?
• Will the technology fully meet the needs of the people using your service? If not, what else do you need to provide?
• Are there more appropriate ways to meet these needs?
• What are the practical and legal issues you need to think about before you introduce new technology?
• What are the risks and how will you manage them? Particularly during transition and early implementation of the technology or system. What is your contingency plan to keep people safe?
• How have you involved your staff? What information and training do they need so they can be confident and competent? This includes understanding their responsibilities and how to respond to associated risks.