NENC Digital Inclusion Strategy Workshop: 

Help shape the draft strategy and strategic plan for digital inclusion across the North East and North Cumbria.

Work together with partners across Newcastle and Gateshead to inform priority actions and needs across your place(s).

Key information

Date: Tuesday 28th November 2023

Time: 10am - 3pm (with a lunch break 12.30 - 1pm)

Event format: An in-person meeting with a mix of presentations and interactive activities 

Venue: Crowne Plaza, Hawthorn Sq, Forth St, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 3SA - Rocket Suite

Refreshments: A light lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Hosted by: Thrive by Design, Connected Voice and North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System

Background

Thrive by Design and North East and North Cumbria (NENC) Integrated Care System (ICS) have been engaging with people across the North East and North Cumbria to explore the role of ‘digital’ in people’s experiences of accessing and engaging with health and social care services. Insights from this work are informing a draft digital inclusion strategy and a strategic plan that will support the implementation of the strategy across the ICS area. Our overall goal is to work together to ensure that health and care services with digital components are being delivered in ways that are inclusive and accessible for different people at different points in their health and care journey. 

We are hosting this event in partnership with Connected Voice as we want to ensure VCSE organisations are connected to the work and supported to contribute. This work aligns with Connected Voice’s Health Equity workstream and Digital Inclusion project work happening across Gateshead. 

What we will do together

We will share what we’ve heard and found so far and how this is shaping the strategy and strategic plan. We will invite reflections to challenge and inform work to date. This might include:

• Sharing how digital inclusion impacts you, your service and the people you support. 

• Sharing stories and experiences. 

• Understanding what resources you have access to support different people’s digital inclusion experiences.  

We will then spend some time together reviewing how we take strategy into action. This might include:

• What are the priorities for people in different settings and organisations?

• What resources are needed to address some of the challenges, barriers and considerations that have been identified?

• What opportunities do we have to make improvements and support change? 

• What are the practicalities of how we will move forward from here?

Working together during the event

• There will be people with different backgrounds and experiences in the room from across sectors.

• We will create a manifesto for how we will work together at the start of the event.

• We expect a lot of the day to be interactive with activities you can input to in smaller groups.

• We will set up activities that will support you to share your experiences in a way that is accessible to you. 

• There will be a facilitator and note-taker with each group to support this.

• We will create opportunities for you to input following the event to support different ways of processing information.

What we will do with information shared during the event

• The information shared during the event will inform the NENC ICS Strategy and Strategic Plan. It will also be shared with the Gateshead Digital Inclusion Steering Group, facilitated by Connected Voice.

• We will share a write up of the event with people that attend and invite attendees to continue to contribute past the event, if you wish to.

• Your thoughts and insights shared during the event will not be attributed to you personally, unless you wish us to do so. 

• We will take photographs during the event which we may include in the write up of the event and on social media. You will have an opportunity to tell us during sign up if you do not want any photographs of you to be used in this way.

• We will give options at registration, and later during the event, for you to opt in or out of sharing your contact information with other attendees. 

Supporting you to attend

• Access information for the venue is available here:

• The venue is accessible for wheelchair users and accessible parking is available at the front of the venue.

• A hearing loop is available.

• We will provide resources and support to enable different people to communicate and interact in a way that is accessible and inclusive to them.

• This can include, but is not limited to: a registered BSL interpreter, notetaker, communicator guide, live captioning, quiet spaces.

• Please let us know, when you register for the event, what adjustments we can make to support you during the event.  

• We have a limited budget to support:

• funded places for people representing VCSE organisations - where payment for your time will support time away from your usual role to input to the event

• travel expenses - where this will support you to attend the event and where it is not covered by your own organisation.

   

Please let us know when you sign up if one or both of these options would support you.

• If there is anything we can do to support you to attend and feel included in the event, please let us know. We are happy to have a conversation with you before the event.

Helping us to make sure the right people are invited

• To ensure we have representation from across different sectors and organisations at the event, our initial approach is to invite key stakeholders from across the Newcastle and Gateshead area. 

• If there is anyone (an individual or organisation) you think we should be inviting, please let us know via email at thrivebydesign.lypft@nhs.net.

• If you support people living in Newcastle and/or Gateshead and would like to attend with someone who can offer a lived or living experience perspective, please let us know at sign up. We will work with you to ensure that the person you attend with is supported to attend and contribute to the event, this includes providing a shopping voucher and travel expenses. 

• If you have been invited but are not able to attend, please let us know via email at thrivebydesign.lypft@nhs.net so we can offer your space to another attendee. You can nominate someone to attend in your place, where relevant. 

Sickness disclaimer

• If you are unwell or are testing positive for COVID-19 we would encourage you not to attend the event - please let us know at thrivebydesign.lypft@nhs.net if you have signed up and are later not able to attend.

• If you are unwell and unable to attend we will send you the write up for the event and provide you with details about other ways you can contribute. 

Note: This event is for people working/living in Newcastle and Gateshead. We will be looking to hold similar events across other places within the NENC ICS area. If you are interested in supporting us to hold such an event in your place or want to be kept up to date about future events, please complete this form. 

If you have any questions or would like to speak to a member of our team please contact thrivebydesign.lypft@nhs.net or 07866 046602