News and informationThe latest news, press releases and information from UK online centres... UK online centres and NHS Choices team up to get health info out to all14 April 2008 Thousands of people across England could get a helping hand to get onto NHS Choices and find a wealth of health information online. A new partnership between the NHS Choices website and UK online centres seeks to increase awareness of the range of information available, and support people without IT access or surfing skills to get to grips with both computers and the NHS Choices site. More than 300 UK online centres will form a network of NHS Choices Community Champions, led by a flagship centre in each region. Over the next 12 months, they aim to reach more than 150,000 people, and drive both understanding and use of the www.nhs.uk website. Managing Director of UK online centres, Helen Milner, said: “More than a third of adults in this country still aren’t using computers and the internet, and increasingly that means they’re excluded from the enormous amount of public information available to the rest of us at the click of a mouse. What’s more, those already at a social or financial disadvantage – arguably those in most need of public information or services – are three times more likely to be on the wrong side of the digital divide. “UK online centres target the web-phobic or dismissive, and have already helped millions of digitally excluded people find out what they could do on the internet, and what the internet could do for them. This is the first time a public website has sought to use the UK online centres network to help it reach a wider, potentially off-line audience, and I hope we’ll be able to establish a model other government departments might adopt in the future. Meanwhile, I’m looking forward to seeing the initiative help NHS Choices find new users, and new users find out more about health, fitness and the NHS services available to them.” Beverley Bryant, Programme Director of NHS Choices, added: “NHS Choices is a response to the 21st century challenges of achieving better health and wellbeing and delivering high-quality personalised services for all. For its users, NHS Choices will become their personal health manager; containing information on over 700 conditions and treatments, directories of local services and lifestyle tips. It will also become their social network for health, connecting people with similar interests, whilst encouraging the exchange of healthcare experiences. “By linking up with UK online centres, NHS Choices will have access to over 150,000 users who otherwise would not have access to the site – helping to bridge the inequality gap and improve the health of those who need it the most”.
Ends For more information please contact: Abi Stevens, UK online centres, on 0778 666 0689,
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Carl Shoben, NHS Choices, on 020 797 21812,
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