Health and care services are moving further and further online. From booking GP appointments through the NHS app, to ordering repeat prescriptions, to accessing test results, digital tools are fast becoming the "front door" to the NHS.

For many people, this is a positive change. Digital healthcare can be quicker, more convenient and give people more control over how they manage their health. People in Leeds have told us they value being able to order prescriptions in an app, access their records at the click of a button, or book a phone appointment that fits around their work.

But not everyone can, or wants to, access care digitally. For some, barriers such as low income, lack of digital confidence, older devices, language or literacy needs, disability, or poor mental health make digital systems difficult or impossible to use. Others simply prefer a face-to-face or phone conversation, especially when talking about sensitive health issues.

This is why we have published this briefing paper: Keeping every door open: ensuring access beyond digital health and care.

The briefing paper brings together what people in Leeds have told us between 2020 and 2025 about their experiences of accessing health and care digitally and non-digitally. It explores:

• What works well with digital healthcare.

• Why choice is essential.

• The risk of going 100% digital, without keeping meaningful non-digital alternatives.

• What services can do to support digital inclusion while making sure nobody is left behind.

Click on the button below to read the briefing paper.

Please get in touch if you require the briefing paper in a different format. Either call 0113 898 0035, email info@healthwatchleeds.co.uk or text 07717 309 843.