NHS partnership is helping people to get online

Free SIM cards are being given to people living in Torbay and South Devon to help combat digital exclusion.

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust is working with the Good Things Foundation to offer low-income families, health and social care staff and the people they care for pre-paid SIM cards for their mobile phone to help them to get online.

The Good Things Foundation is the UK’s leading digital inclusion charity and is on a mission to “help everyone become digitally equal, able and safe, so that they can be happier, healthier and better off.”

The partnership offers data on pre-loaded SIMs to anyone who is older than 18 and is from a low-income household and either has no or insufficient access to the internet at home, or cannot afford their existing monthly contract or top-up, and provides a life-line for people to manage their online appointments and stay connected with friends and relatives.

Helen Davies-Cox, Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust’s Head of Personalised Care said: “More and more people are using the internet and social media to manage their health appointments, do their shopping and keep in touch with friends and family.

“We have some of the most deprived communities in the country and want to do more to help people who are struggling financially by giving them free data to get online without having to worry about money. Our partnership with the Good Things Foundation is helping to directly addresses digital exclusion in our communities and providing a practical solution to help people to overcome some of the barriers they may face getting online. By providing free SIM cards, we’re empowering individuals to stay connected, access essential services, and improve their opportunities.”

For more details, please email tsdft.goodthings@nhs.net, call 01803 656700, or ask a clinician or carer involved with your care to apply on your behalf.