The Rural Centre of Excellence for Digital Health and Care (RCE), funded by the UK Government and managed and delivered by the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI), aims to advance Scotland’s digital health agenda and support economic recovery. The initiative includes a Demonstration & Simulation Environment (DSE) in Elgin and Living Labs for innovation collaboration across Moray.

Care in Place is a research and development project undertaken by the RCE in collaboration with Moray Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP). Together with citizens, staff, and third-sector groups the project aims to understand current challenges with health and care needs and explore new ways to deliver important services using digital solutions.

The HSCP has experienced extreme pressure on its services in recent months. Unpaid carers have also expressed concern about how much they are relied upon. People seeking support want a better experience when using services, easier access, quicker decisions, and to be listened to.

Two digital tools have been co-designed, developed, and tested with staff and citizens in the Moray area to improve the experience of older people and unpaid carers looking for support:
Community Connections Moray is a website that helps a person to find community support early and introduce them to services they choose by sharing their details and asking for contact.

Personal Data Store is a secure digital space designed to help a person tell their story once and in their own words. It helps people identify the support they need and share this with key services they engage with.

This user experience evaluation aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the usability and overall user satisfaction with the two digital tools developed as part of the Care in Place project. The findings were largely positive with participants expressing an optimism for the future use of the digital tools in making it easier to navigate the care system in Moray. The feedback focused on four areas and suggested improvements:

1. Person-centred look and feel could be further enhanced by wider user testing with a larger and more diverse group to ensure inclusivity and appeal to multiple age groups.
2. Log-in process requires simplification.
3. Language and navigation seemed logical however support from staff and family was still required for those less confident with digital technology.
4. Emotional triggers from recounting difficult experiences is inevitable so more reassurance throughout the platform that people can complete it at their own pace may be beneficial.

The findings will contribute to the overall development of Community Connections Moray and Personal Data Store and their potential adoption into services in Moray.

• https://www.dhi-scotland.com/rce-moray-h...