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Digital Divide

 

What had to be done?

Around 40% of people do not have access to the internet and therefore are not able to access the wealth of health information available on the web in the privacy of their home. Digital TV is available in more UK homes than the internet – currently over 80% of homes have a digital TV in the home – and the penetration of Digital TV in the lower socio-economic groups (where internet availability is the lowest) is at the highest. Therefore, exploiting Digital TV as a route to deliver health information will go some way to bridging the digital divide.  And as digital TV replaces analogue broadcasting, one way to bridge this digital divide is to broadcast health information on a dedicated TV channel to people at home.

 

What our consultants did...

 

Quite simply, they devised, bought, launched and managed an interactive digital TV channel dedicated to the broadcast of health information for patients and the public.  

This involved:  

  • creating a new supply market from the traditional IT and digital TV sectors to provide the managed service needed for the channel, followed by the procurement of a managed service supplier, and ongoing supplier relationship and contract management;  

  • management of the design and development of the interactive service, including  - usability testing with members of the public and key national disability charities, clinical and NHS policy input to editorial guidance, production of the content management system and a version of the service published to the web for use by NHS Direct staff;  

  • establishment of a content team with skills to edit material and provide clinical sign-off for broadcast and the processes for managing content;  

  • commissioning of video material and interactive quiz tool, and their production and editorial oversight;   on-platform marketing of the service to satellite TV subscribers;  

  • commissioning an independent evaluation of the service;  

  • production of an online manual for use in the management of the service, and skills transfer to in-house service management team  



How this helped...
 		  

  • Delivered the worlds largest interactive digital TV service - 16 video channels with over 3000 pages of NHS accredited health information - available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to the majority of the population;

  • During our management we achieved an audience of over 4% of the population every month - which is more than 90% of all TV programmes broadcast achieve - giving a valued source of trusted health information;

  • Flexible contracts that allowed for development and enhancement to the service to enable ongoing requirements to be accommodated;

  • Implemented business led Service Levels that reflected the importance of this public facing service and protected the public-purse by ensuring payment by results.

  

 

           70 into 1   ■  Digital Divide  ■  Safety First  ■   More, More, More  ■  Always There  ■ Pulling Together  ■  New World  ■  Pilot of the Airwaves  ■   No Cost   ■  Check it Out  ■  Follow Through