Ways to make digital inclusion work: Keele University

What is the driver for your DI initiative?

Claire says: "The main driver for this initiative was the need to expand high-quality student placement opportunities alongside a desire to address digital exclusion within the local community. 

Across the Allied Health Professions (AHPs), professional bodies are encouraging universities to develop innovative placement models that provide learning experiences across all four pillars of practice: clinical practice, leadership, education and research. This placement enables students to develop patient-facing skills while also gaining experience in education, community engagement and service development. It is particularly aligned to the leadership pillar through its focus on promoting equity, diversity and inclusion by supporting individuals who may otherwise be disadvantaged by the increasing digitalisation of living in a modern society.

A second driver is the growing challenge of digital exclusion.

Many people lack the skills, confidence, access to technology or awareness of support services needed to engage with digital healthcare and the online world. Through the placement, students provide practical, person-centred support to help community members improve their digital confidence, make use of smartphone features and access services such as the NHS App. In doing so, the placement addresses key areas of the AHP Digital Competency Framework, including supporting the digital literacy of others and how to seek community support pathways for digitally excluded individuals. The result is a sustainable model that simultaneously enhances student learning and delivers meaningful benefits to the local community.

Is it driven by organisational and/or statutory requirements?

How is it funded and how do you find this funding?

Funding the initiative was initially one of the biggest challenges, but as the placement has developed, we have established a more sustainable delivery model. 

A key source of funding comes from placement tariff payments received by organisations that host healthcare students on placement. By designing the initiative as a full-time placement module, students spend time each week supporting a range of community partners, including community venues, GP practices, a refugee centre and a hospital setting, alongside a dedicated study day. With approximately four students per placement block and placements typically lasting five to six weeks, the placement tariff income helps offset a proportion of the staffing, coordination and delivery costs associated with the programme.

In addition, we secured initial start-up funding through the Keele Key Fund, which enabled us to establish the placement and increase its visibility within the community. This funding supported the purchase of branded polo shirts, banners and other promotional materials that helped students establish a professional presence and raise awareness of the service among community partners and members of the public.

The combination of placement tariff income and targeted start-up funding has allowed the initiative to move from a pilot project to a sustainable placement model that continues to benefit both students and the local community.

Much of what you do is embedded in your community and involves working with community organisations. How did you set up these relationships and what benefits has this brought?

Much of the success of this initiative has been built on strong community partnerships, some of which were already established and others that have developed over time. For example, the local MPFT Digital Angels service had previously provided digital support within one of our community venues until its funding ended. Rather than losing that support entirely, our student placement model evolved to continue delivering the service. In other areas, we drew upon existing relationships with placement partners and professional networks to introduce the concept and explore opportunities for collaboration. Having trusted relationships already in place made it much easier to engage organisations and gain support for something that was both new and slightly different from traditional student placements.

Alongside these existing connections, we actively sought out community organisations and groups with a shared interest in digital inclusion. Conversations with Digital Unite played an important role in shaping our approach. Their encouragement, expertise and support helped us overcome challenges during the early stages of the initiative.

One of the key lessons was the importance of clearly articulating the why. The relevance of a digital inclusion placement is not always immediately obvious within AHP education, so it was essential to explain how the placement supports student development, addresses professional requirements and meets a genuine community need. Being persistent, following up conversations and maintaining regular communication also proved important, as potential partners are often enthusiastic but busy

These relationships have opened up significant opportunities and support. Community organisations help us reach people who may benefit most from the service, while trusted local partners such as GP practices, libraries and Citizens Advice help promote the support available through word of mouth and direct signposting.

In turn, partners who share our vision have been keen to contribute in practical ways. Our local hospital has funded promotional banners, a local IT company donated tablets for students to use during support sessions, and the university has provided refurbished laptops to support our work with refugees. This generosity reflects the fact that digital inclusion addresses a recognised need across multiple sectors, creating benefits for students, partner organisations and, most importantly, local community members.

A further challenge is maintaining visibility and trust within community settings where students are only present for a limited period (typically five to six weeks). In settings such as refugee centres, the support of permanent staff is invaluable in encouraging people to engage with the service and helping to bridge the transitions between student cohorts. As with any community-based initiative, trust takes time to build, and continuity can be more difficult when the workforce changes regularly.

That said, the partnerships are also one of the most rewarding aspects of the initiative. Partners have not only supported delivery but have often contributed resources, ideas and expertise to help the service grow. Bringing together people from different sectors who are all passionate about tackling digital exclusion has been instrumental in shaping the placement into what it is today.

What are the top three lessons you've learnt on running DI projects?

There have been several important lessons from running a digital inclusion project, but three stand out.

First, we learnt that digital inclusion is most effective when it starts with the interests and priorities of the individual, rather than our own professional objectives. As a health-focused placement, our original intention was to concentrate on digital health and healthcare technologies. While this remains an important part of what we do, students quickly recognised that building digital confidence often begins with something that matters to the person in front of them, whether that's communicating with family, accessing community groups, shopping online or using everyday apps. Once confidence grows in these areas, people are often more willing and able to engage with digital health services.

Second, digital inclusion is about far more than technology. Students consistently report that success comes from offering encouragement, patience, reassurance and ongoing support. Many people are not excluded because they lack access to a device; they are excluded because they lack confidence, or are worried about getting things wrong. Building trust and creating a supportive environment is often more important than the technology itself.

Third, it takes time to build awareness, trust and a reputation within the community. Even when a service addresses a genuine need, people do not automatically attend simply because it exists. Establishing a regular presence, developing relationships with trusted community organisations, and relying on word-of-mouth recommendations have all been crucial to growing engagement over time.

How do you use DU's training projects? 

We use  Inspire as part of our student induction, helping students understand the principles of digital inclusion and the role of a Digital Champion at the start of their placement.

Students are then allocated study time to complete a package of relevant training through the Digital Champions Network (DCN). This includes a set of mandatory courses that all students must complete to ensure a consistent foundation in digital inclusion, communication, and support skills. Beyond these core modules, students can select additional training that aligns with their interests and the needs of the people they are supporting.

This flexible approach allows students to tailor their learning while developing the knowledge, confidence, and practical skills needed to fulfil their role as a Digital Champion throughout their placement. The training complements their hands-on experience, enabling them to provide effective digital support to members of the local community.

What's next?

Our next step is to scale the model so that it can benefit more students, communities and organisations. While the placement currently supports Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy students, there is potential to expand it across a wider range of health and social care programmes. Our ambition is to create multidisciplinary student digital support teams, bringing together learners from different professional backgrounds to provide digital inclusion support across multiple community sites simultaneously. This would not only increase capacity and reach but also provide students with valuable experience of collaborative, multidisciplinary working.