Decision details

The Board considered the refreshed Cheshire East Digital Inclusion Plan. The draft Plan was influenced by pre-engagement conversations with the public and voluntary and community sector organisations. The draft Plan was subject to a public engagement exercise which had resulted in the broadening of the second of the three cohorts identified to include the digitally inexperienced.

It was proposed that the enhanced Cheshire East Digital Inclusion Task Force (CEDIT) who had drafted the plan would be renamed to the Cheshire East Digital Inclusion Partnership and would include a broader membership and would continue to feed in to the Cheshire East Health and Wellbeing Board to ensure it had a place in the system.

The benefits to being digitally enabled were set out within the Plan but in summary could lead to amongst other things: improved health and wellbeing; being better connected socially; assisting with education, learning or work (including securing employment); being able to access information, guidance and advice and to benefit from savings deals on services and shopping.

Further work would be undertaken on the draft implementation plan and further support provided for those people who through ill health or disability could not or were no longer able to access services online. The ongoing rollout of Connecting Cheshire would assist with improving access to broadband for those living in rural areas.

RESOLVED:That:-

1.    the refreshed Cheshire East Digital Inclusion Plan be approved.

2.    the Health and Wellbeing Board support the proposal that the Delivery Plan is implemented through the Cheshire East Digital Inclusion Partnership.

3.    the Health and Wellbeing Board agree to have oversight of the progress made in delivering the action plan.