The Digital Poverty Alliance (DPA) is launching an inquiry into how digital exclusion is shaping health outcomes.
The charity will look at what needs to change to ensure that digital transformation in healthcare does not deepen existing inequalities.
The DPA said that across the UK, the shift toward digital healthcare is accelerating, with appointments booked online, consultations happening via video, and a rise in the use of monitoring apps.
While services continue to digitalise, the DPA said that access to them is not universal, adding that the implications for equity are “profound.”
Professor Farah Bhatti, who is chairing the inquiry and is a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon, said that throughout her career she has seen the impact inequality has on patients.
“The pace of technological change must balance efficiency and convenience with ensuring that some of the most vulnerable in society are supported – and not left behind,” she added. “New systems and digitisation must also be accompanied with training and support for staff in every part of the NHS – including how they can support patients to engage with online NHS services.”
The DPA will publish its final report in early 2026, with findings and recommendations designed to inform national policy and improve practice across the health and care sectors.
The inquiry follows the news that the expansion of the NHS app saved around 1.5 million appointments from cancellation.
Some 87 per cent of hospitals now offer services through the NHS app, an increase of 20 per cent since July last year.
In March this year, the NHS also announced that it will launch an AI tool which it claims can predict a patient’s risk of falling with 97 per cent accuracy, preventing as many as 2,000 falls and hospital admissions each day.
The predictive tool, developed by HealthTech provider Cera, will be used in more than two million patient home care visits a month.
