Frome Medical Practice is working with local charities, Health Connections Mendip and Spark Somerset to help people get online and understand their digital devices.

Through Spark Somerset, Frome residents can now borrow a tablet and portable Wi-Fi device which will enable them to connect to the internet and access virtual clinics and health care apps, which support their health and wellbeing. The project also offers participants free guidance and training on how to use the loan devices and browse the web safely.

Rachel Haupt is part of the dedicated digital team at Frome Medical Practice and supports patients with digital healthcare, such as using the NHS App to access their medical records or attending virtual group clinics.

"Digital inclusion is about helping people gain knowledge, confidence and skills so they can use digital technology safely," said Rachel. "We're increasingly seeing this kind of technology used in health care and so this project aims to support our patients who need some support to get online. Having devices that are available to loan to patients is proving invaluable, especially when we want to help people access our virtual group clinics, and we are really grateful to Spark Somerset for this donation."

Will Palmer is the Digital Health Connector at the practice and runs the Digital Cafe in Frome once a week.

"We really want to help people get digitally connected, so we've set up a Digital Cafe," said Will, "The cafe takes place every Thursday from 10-11.30am in the main cafe area at the Cheese and Grain in the town centre. There's no need to make an appointment, just turn up and if I am busy people are welcome to have some refreshments and chat to the other attendees while they wait. This is a free service and I would love to see you there if you need some help with your smart phone, tablet or laptop or if you'd just like to join us for a chat."

Verity Baum, is a Digital Inclusion Project Manager at Spark Somerset and runs the Spark iT digital inclusion project. "We are delighted to be working on this project in Frome, supporting people to develop the skills and confidence they need to be able to enjoy the benefits of being online."

"The project is supported by Digital Champions, friendly volunteers who offer 1:1 support to people who need a little help to do simple online tasks such as sending emails, accessing health services or using social media. We would love to hear from anyone who would like to support us by becoming a Digital Champion."

Anybody who would like to find out more about borrowing a smart device or accessing help to get online can contact Will Palmer, Digital Health Connector at Health Connections Mendip on 01373 465757 or email [email protected]

To find out more about the Spark iT project, including opportunities to become a Digital Champion volunteer, visit www.sparksomerset.org.uk/spark-it