Bridge or Barrier?
What Digital Inclusion Really Means for Social Care
Digital is changing the way health and social care is delivered in Scotland. The Health & Social Care Renewal Framework sets out a vision for modern, joined-up services built on a “digital first” mindset.
Yet without the right support, digital can quickly become a barrier rather than a bridge. Many people face challenges with the cost of devices, ongoing internet access, and a lack of skills or confidence. In social care, these barriers can limit opportunities for education, employment, social connection, and access to vital health services.
This Get Online Week, we are sharing insights from our research and frontline practice to help shape a more inclusive future.
About the Project
In May 2025, our Digital Inclusion Development Project published Bridge or Barrier?, a Scottish Government–funded research report exploring the attitudes of people accessing social care and frontline staff towards digital health and care.
The findings revealed a complex picture. Digital health tools were not seen as an immediate motivator by most people. Instead, their first steps online are often linked to personal interests, hobbies, and connections, what we call a person’s “digital hook.” While 70% of people told us they felt digitally confident, only 13% were using digital to manage their health and wellbeing. Yet there is clear potential: 59% said they would like to explore this in the future.
Awareness of existing platforms such as NHS Near Me and Daylight was very low. Both people we support and staff expressed concerns that a shift towards “digital by default” could weaken trust and reduce the personal connection that is at the heart of good support. Support Practitioners also highlighted the importance of time, training, and resources to feel confident in supporting people with digital health.
Why this Matters
The potential for digital to improve health outcomes and strengthen independence is significant. But the evidence from our research shows that this can only happen if digital is introduced in a way that enhances, rather than replaces, the trusted relationships between people and the staff who support them.
As Scotland prepares to launch the Digital Front Door later this year, these insights are vital. To succeed, digital health must be designed and delivered in partnership with both people accessing social care and frontline staff. Otherwise, there is a real risk that innovation intended to increase access could deepen inequalities instead.
What Needs to Change
We believe digital inclusion must be recognised as a core part of social care. To make this possible, we are calling for three key actions:
- Digital Inclusion support must be appropriately funded and resourced to enable engagement with digital health and care
- Inconsistencies in the availability and awareness of digital health and care services across local authorities must be addressed
- Digital must be utilised as an enhancement to, and not a replacement of, the support relationship
Building a Digitally Inclusive Future
Digital is not separate from support; it is now part of it. From the conversations Support Practitioners are having every day to the national frameworks shaping Scotland’s future, we see both the opportunities and the risks.
This Get Online Week, we want to ensure that digital inclusion is not left to chance. With the right investment, awareness, and commitment, digital can be a bridge to opportunity, never a barrier to support.
Read our Bridge or Barrier? report to explore how Scotland can make digital inclusion a core part of social care.