Health Inequalities: 'Digital Poverty' means you do not have equality of access to services, like health and leisure services - impacting on health outcomes.

By Brian Leveson
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14 Jul, 2021
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Alongside the issues of access to parks like, Elizabeth Place and the lack of Changing Places in leisure facilities, here is another example of how health inequalities come about for people with protected characteristics. Old technology, incompatible technology and raft of other 'essential apps' needed to access essential services, mean I cannot go swimming in a local facility

*West Reservoir, Hackney - not for you if you aren't up to date with the technology*

I wanted to get the health benefits of outdoor swimming

I wanted to access the benefits of 'wild swimming' in a facility not far from where I live, West Reservoir, Stoke Newington. I used to swim, pre-Covid, over in the ponds in Hampstead, but I simply not inclined to make the journey over there any more.

The West Reservoir is 12 minutes on my bike, or a half hour walk. This is more accessible to me that the Hampstead ponds, which are an hour and a half walk or a half hour mainly uphill bike ride.

I want to do the exercise, I want to get outside and I want to benefit from immersing myself in the nature (on my doorstep)

But I can't go - because my tech is too old and there is no other way of buying a ticket other than using the Better app (no pun intended)

So I went on the website to get a ticket and book a time, but I can't I need the 'Better app'.

So I went to download the app on my phone.

But my very old phone (2016!) couldn't cope with it. In order to do so I would need to make space on my phone by downloading, no 'unload' (is that a term? can I say delete?) the other apps - like WhatsApp (which I use to contact people) or ClassDojo (which I use every day to keep in contact with my son's school).

My tech is too old or incompatible

My tech is 5 years old and therefore incompatible. I tried to use my 'tablet' but I wasn't allowed to download the app on that either - for tech reasons, don't ask me because I don't quite understand

I called them up - but THERE IS NO OTHER OPTION OTHER THAN USING THE APP

The person on the phone couldn't help, but highlighted to us themselves that this disproportionately impacted on older people. Perhaps so, but also anyone, for whatever reason, who can't just pop out and but an expensive phone so they can go swimming.

So, if you've go old tech - you can't go outdoor swimming at West Reservoir

If you've got incompatible tech - you can't go swimming at West Reservoir

If you cannot afford to by a new phone - you cannot go swimming at West Reservoir

If you cannot get your head around new tech, or don't have the capacity to do so - you cannot go swimming at West Reservoir.

Which means you cannot access the health and wellbeing benefits of swimming at West Reservoir.

And that's another way of how health inequalities emerge for people in areas of deprivation or with additional needs

So, that's 3 areas of leisure people like us cannot access

1. Leisure facilities without Changing Places for people with complex toileting needs

2. Leisure facilities that get taken without planning permission in a gesture that give the message that people in Tottenham don't count

3. Facilities where we do not have the appropriate technology to purchase the tickets

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