Digital Support Workers empower residents in digital care
Digital Health and Care Support Workers are helping Irvine Valley residents feel more ‘tech savvy’ when taking care of their wellbeing and managing long-term health conditions.
Angela Gracie and Haylee Brogan came into post as Digital Health and Care Support Workers with our Thinking Differently Team on 31 July this year, the role being the first of its kind in Scotland.
So far they have helped members of the Irvine Valley community to feel more confident when using digital health and care supports, such as ordering repeat prescriptions online, using the online GP consultation app (eConsult), accessing the NHS Near Me website and using other health monitoring apps and digital tools.
Angela told us more…
“We aim to upskill people digitally to help with health interventions and to increase their confidence, independence and ability to self-manage their general health and wellbeing.
We’re currently based at The Smart Hub in Ross Court in the Irvine Valley, where people can drop in and visit us, and we attend community groups with our ‘TEC backpack’, which contains healthcare equipment for demonstration, such as blood pressure monitors.
We also host a regular group, ‘Cuppa TEC’, every Friday morning in Ross Court from 10am to 12pm, where we have an informal chat with people and show them how to use digital health and care supports. We will be hosting ‘Cuppa TEC’ groups in and around the Irvine Valley in the new year.
The Digital Health and Care Support Workers are based in the Irvine Valley, where our Thinking Differently Team began researching the East Ayrshire Pathfinder Project in 2020.
Find out more about the project on the TEC Scotland website.
You can also visit the East Ayrshire Digital Health Care page on Facebook to stay up-to-date with all things digital health and care in the Irvine Valley.
