Digital Poverty: When Access Isn’t Equal

Digital services are increasingly becoming the default way people access healthcare, public services, education and employment support.

But access isn’t equal.

For many communities, digital exclusion is shaped by affordability, connectivity, confidence and wider cost-of-living pressures with real consequences for health outcomes and opportunity.

This event creates space for an open conversation about digital inclusion, practical solutions and how systems and communities can work together to reduce digital inequality.

No assumptions. No blame. Just honest discussion about what works and what still needs to change.

Key questions

• When services become “digital by default”, who gets left behind?

• How do device access, data poverty and affordability affect health and wellbeing?

• What practical solutions are already working locally?

• How do policy and grassroots approaches come together?

Speakers

Adele Bunch

Head of Portfolio

Adele joined Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber in September 2021 as Programme Manager for the Cardiovascular Disease Programme. She led the Inclisiran project before being appointed Head of Portfolio in January 2022, taking on responsibility for Health Inequalities, Mental Health, the MedTech Funding Mandate and Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement.

Prior to joining HIYH, Adele was Programme Lead for domestic and international workforce supply at NHS Employers, part of the NHS Confederation. Here, she supported NHS trusts across England to scale up recruitment, with a particular focus on the ethical overseas recruitment of nurses to help deliver the 50,000-nurse mandate. She collaborated closely with arm’s-length bodies, regulators, training providers and unions to help employers navigate the new immigration system and increase workforce capacity. Adele also managed the list of agencies adhering to the Code of Practice for International Recruitment and oversaw the People Performance Management Toolkit.

One of Adele’s proudest achievements was initiating a refugee resettlement project for the NHS, aimed at recruiting qualified nurses from Lebanon and Jordan, seeing arrivals to the UK during 2021/22. Her current focus is around ensuring the patient and public voice is at the heart of healthcare transformation - a shift required to truly narrow health inequity.

Adele began her career in Dundee, Scotland back in 1999 as a qualified dental nurse before moving into healthcare policy at the Department of Health and Social Care, where she worked on walk-in centres, GP exemplar initiatives and regulation policy. In 2004, she joined NHS Employers and spent 17 years contributing to programmes including professional standards, reducing agency spend, Freedom to Speak Up and widening participation.

Amanda Jackson

Associate Chief Clinical Information Officer at Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust.

She has a background as a Specialist  Community Public Health Nurse, with a strong grounding in community care and a clear focus on reducing inequalities and improving outcomes for both individuals and communities.

Her work centres on digital health and service transformation, with an emphasis on using technology in ways that are practical, inclusive, and shaped by real patient need. Amanda has led key digital inclusion work, including the development of a patient screening tool to assess digital literacy and ability. This helps clinical teams understand individual needs and tailor support, improving access and engagement for those at risk of digital exclusion.

She plays a key role in driving innovation, bringing together staff, patients, and partners to co-design solutions through digital health support hubs and structured improvement programmes. Amanda also works in partnership with organisations such as 100% Digital Leeds, alongside third sector and national networks, to strengthen digital inclusion approaches across systems.

Amanda is committed to making digital care fair, usable, and effective, with a strong focus on improving patient experience and delivering meaningful, measurable impact.

Ian McArdle

Senior Digital Inclusion Officer

Integrated Digital Service

Leeds City Council & NHS West Yorkshire ICB

Ian works for Leeds City Council as a Senior Digital Inclusion Officer on the 100% Digital Leeds programme. His team works with partners across the city in many different settings – third sector, public sector, health and care – to strengthen the digital inclusion infrastructure in communities to increase access, engagement, and participation.

Emma Raftery-Kenworthy

PR and Marketing Director at Aire Logic

Aire Logic is an employee-owned health technology group with two decades of experience building digital infrastructure inside the NHS. Emma is passionate about the transformative power of technology in healthcare, and equally passionate about ensuring that transformation reaches everyone.

A committed digital inclusion advocate, Emma believes that technology only delivers on its promise when it is accessible to all. She has worked hands-on to address this, partnering with NHS trusts and community organisations to run grassroots digital support sessions that help members of the public navigate healthcare technology. She writes and speaks on the intersection of DEI, digital equity, and health tech, including as a contributor to techUK, and has taken her message about digital inclusion to audiences at international events.

Emma is a vocal advocate for greater diversity in the tech sector, using her platform to encourage more women and underrepresented groups into the industry.

Hannah Farthing

Health Equity and Learning Disability Improvement Manager at Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust

Hannah has a background in community health, with a strong focus on reducing inequalities and improving outcomes for individuals and communities.

Her work centres on health equity and service improvement, ensuring care is accessible, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of people with learning disabilities and those experiencing health inequalities. She supports services to identify and address barriers, enabling more personalised and equitable care.

Hannah works collaboratively with staff, patients, and partners to drive improvement and co-design solutions that enhance access, experience, and outcomes. She is passionate about creating fair, inclusive healthcare systems and delivering meaningful, measurable impact for underserved communities.