Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of low digital literacy on patients ability to access GP services.

The Government is committed to delivering digital services that are accessible and inclusive throughout the National Health Service, including in primary care.

NHS England has published a framework for National Health Service action on digital inclusion to support practical action. The Digital Exclusion Risk Atlas (DERA) is an online location-based analytical tool designed to help health and care system teams understand and identify patterns of digital exclusion across England.

DERA provides a range of data indicators to highlight areas where people may face barriers to accessing and using digital health and care services. By improving visibility of these patterns, DERA aims to support more targeted interventions and contribute to efforts to reduce health inequalities.