Helpforce and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust launch Digital Champion volunteering pilot

A new volunteering programme will help more patients access digital healthcare services while tackling digital exclusion.

Helpforce is partnering with Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, the hospital charity CW+ and wider community partners to pilot an innovative volunteering programme that trains volunteers to become Digital Champions. This programme aims to enable more patients to successfully engage with digital healthcare services, including the NHS App.

As more NHS services become available online, digital tools are making it easier for many people to manage their healthcare. But not everyone has the skills, confidence or access needed to benefit. Older people, those on lower incomes, and people with limited digital skills or language barriers can all find digital healthcare difficult to navigate.

The Digital Champion pilot aims to bridge this gap by equipping volunteers with the knowledge and confidence to support patients in using digital health services. By providing practical, person-centred support, volunteers can help patients feel more confident managing their health while ensuring digital transformation does not leave people behind.

Co-designed with volunteers

The programme has been shaped by volunteers themselves.

Helpforce and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust held two listening workshops with volunteers - one at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and one at West Middlesex University Hospital - to understand how they are already supporting patients and families with digital tools and where further support is needed.

The sessions highlighted several common challenges. Volunteers described how patients are often expected to navigate multiple digital applications, which can be confusing when there is uncertainty around what each app is for or how it will be used during care journeys.

Accessibility and language were also recurring themes. Many patient communications are only available in English, and volunteers were unaware of the Trust's Recite Me tool, which can translate website content into multiple languages and improve accessibility for patients with additional needs.

Volunteers also suggested there could be clearer patient-facing information about digital services, including the NHS App, through printed guides, QR codes and information displayed in waiting areas where patients have time to read and absorb it.

Turning insight into action

The feedback gathered through the workshops has directly informed the design of the pilot.

Volunteers will receive structured training on digital health services, including the NHS App, alongside guidance on having supportive conversations with patients and recognising when additional help is needed. The programme will also establish clear competencies for the Digital Champion role.

Alongside volunteer training, the partnership will explore consistent patient information resources, review feedback about improving the visibility of digital communications across hospital sites and introduce simple measures to assess the impact of the programme on both volunteers and patients.

Building confidence in digital healthcare

The pilot will review how trained volunteers can help patients build the confidence to use digital health services, including the NHS App.

It will also explore how volunteers can help overcome barriers such as trust, confidence and digital literacy, while recognising that the services available through the NHS App vary depending on what individual GP practices have enabled.

The programme will measure outcomes including:

• Patients feeling more confident using digital health services, including the NHS App.

• Increased confidence among volunteers in discussing digital healthcare with patients following their training.

By combining volunteer support with stronger community partnerships, the pilot aims to create a more inclusive approach to digital healthcare.

Amerjit Chohan, Helpforce CEO, said:

"This pilot recognises that volunteers have an important role to play in helping patients navigate an increasingly digitalised health system. By giving volunteers the right training, resources, and community connections, we can help ensure more people have the confidence to access the digital services that support their health."

Alexander Dudbridge, Digital Change Manager at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said:

"We know that digital services can improve the experience of care, but it’s vital they are accessible to everyone. This partnership will help us better support patients who need additional guidance while strengthening the valuable contribution our volunteers already make every day."

The learning from the pilot could help shape how NHS organisations across the country use volunteers to improve digital inclusion.