Bridging the digital divide: hospital-based digital volunteers enhancing patient portal engagement 

SWL Digital Pioneer Fellow: Daniel Scott Cree

Role: Patient Portal Support Analyst
Organisation: Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust

Digital Volunteer Support for Patients with the Patient Portal

Summary: To recruit and train a team of digital volunteers (DVs) to provide expert face-to-face support and guidance to patients regarding the patient portal at Kingston Hospital.

Story of the project

A need to provide face-to-face support to our patients was identified through daily contact with our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) team. They receive regular queries and complaints from patients struggling to use the portal, leading to frustration and disengagement with the portal.

In response to limited staff capacity and expertise, the project aimed to recruit and train Digital Volunteers (DVs) to offer tailored support to patients and staff navigating the patient portal. It was hoped that this tailored support for patients might also help to drive patient portal registration activity.

The project was aligned very closely with our trust core values: Compassionate; Inclusive; Collaborative; and Inspiring.

Project milestones

The first iteration of the project featured a patient portal help station, manned by DVs and equipped with leaflets and information. There was a reluctance from patients to engage through this format. In response, the DVs role transitioned into a personable, outreach format, similar to a meet and greet function.

DVs now approach patients directly, asking them about their experiences of using the patient portal and providing support and assistance as required. Other developments throughout the project include:  

• Notifying DVs of patient portal updates: the portal has regular updates, including new functionality, so it is important to share the latest information with DVs. Several communication methods are being trailed, including newsletters, virtual meetings and a recorded video update that is emailed to DVs.
• Recruitment, retention and engagement: adapted to accept and train DVs on an ad hoc basis.
• Patient engagement: Patients do not always want to engage with the DVs, due to anxiety about imminent appointments or car parking, language barriers or a general reluctance to engage. The DVs are responsive to encourage engagement, such as advising that they are available before and after appointments.
• Measuring metrics: the direct impact of the project is difficult to monitor. To support with data collection, DVs are requested to provide post-shift feedback via an MS form. Overtime, this has been adapted to capture more quantitative information.
• Funding: there is no specific allocation of funding to support the project, such as reprinting leaflets. To combat this, A4 laminated leaflet with QR codes were created, so DVS could help patients to scan and view a digitalised leaflet instead.
• Awareness of service throughout the hospital: Staff unaware that the service exists and that they can direct patients with portal queries to the DVs.  We worked with the hospital’s communications team to run an awareness campaign.

Driving project development through the SWL Digital Pioneer Fellowship

I had not heard of the Fellowship previously and applied to join at the recommendation of my manager, herself a graduate from a previous cohort.

I found the other fellows to be extremely supportive and challenging (in a good way). I have come a long way over the last 12 months, developing key skills which have enabled me to deliver a successful project. These include self-confidence, presentation skills, networking and general good project practice. 

I am now confident in my ability to identify, initiate and deliver new projects whilst engaging with a wide spectrum of stakeholders. An example of this is a new project that I have started to increase staff knowledge and engagement with the patient portal.

I didn’t really have any expectations about the Fellowship initially but can see now that I have taken some quite significant strides since embarking on the programme, with thanks to the Fellowship programme and my mentor. It certainly didn’t happen overnight.

It has been really useful working with fellows across SWL because we have a shared goal. This makes the group sessions much more meaningful. It has also enabled me to gain a more insightful understanding of services across the SWL area and most importantly to build a network of future collaborators.

Outcomes

The project began in August 2024 and officially launched in November 2024. Five DVs are based in the Main Outpatient’s Department, working 2-3 hour shifts throughout the week to provide the service to patients and staff.

Whilst we have not really noticed an increase in registrations aligned to the DVs project, we have found it to be a valuable resource for driving engagement and understanding patient behaviour related to the portal.

I would say my interaction with patients is generally positive, and has enabled us to raise awareness of the patient portal. Some patients like to share their medical reasons for being at the Hospital, which seems to help them in managing anxiety while waiting for their appointment. There are a minority of patients who don’t want to engage, either because they are not comfortable with technology; too many systems with other hospitals or GP’s; or too anxious ahead of their appointment.

– Hannah Clements, Digital Volunteer

Come spend 3 hours with me in Outpatients on my volunteering shift at Kingston Hospital. You will get to speak with scores of patients, carers and workforce. You will hear it from the people who really matter in all this. Writing stuff in a plan doesn’t magic things into existence. People make it happen. Workforce makes it happen.

– Nigel Slone, Digital Volunteer

Next steps

We are planning a debrief and planning session with the DVs along with our Outpatient Transformation and Patient Experience teams. This session will provide impact learnings to underpin future developments related to our patient portal provision and outline the role of DVs to support this work.

For more information on the SWL Digital Pioneer Fellowship and check out our Innovation Directory to browse through the full list of Fellows.