Cambridge based Priority Digital Health are a young, fast-growing digital provider of platforms that support services commissioned by the NHS and public health. The team’s background is in behaviour change through digital tools and a focus on user interface and user experience.
At the start of the Covid-19 crisis and lockdown, Priority Digital Health recognised that social distancing and isolation would make it difficult for the most vulnerable to seek support. As a highly responsive business, Priority Digital Health, successfully developed and launched a new platform in answer to the situation and the Covid-19 crisis within the space of a week.
The Covid-19 Welfare platform is being used by Essex County Council and delivered by Provide CIC in partnership with Priority Digital Health throughout Essex. It has enabled vulnerable adults across the county to register a request for support and allows volunteers to register their offer of help. Health and social care professionals can then match the volunteers to the requests for support via the platform.
As well as building the platform, the team at Priority Digital Health has trained 350 call handlers and 3500+ volunteers on how to use the system. The Covid-19 Welfare platform is now available to be customised for similar services and can be mobilised with 72 hours.
Alison Meadows, Joint Chief Executive of Priority Digital Health, said: “This crisis has brought into sharp focus the opportunity for digital solutions to get help to the most vulnerable people in our communities, whilst relieving the pressure on our health sector. The new Covid-19 Welfare platform is truly a local service for local residents and we’re proud that 400,000 vulnerable adults will be supported as a result.”
The platform, which also delivers a remote stop smoking service and other community services, uses the Health and Social Care Network (HSCN) as standard, one of the most secure hosting providers in the UK. It also has a special high traffic hosting solution in place, which can handle a whole population approach tested for 1.5 million residents across Essex.
