• Bias & Ethics
• Digital Inclusion
• HealthTech

Written by Daniel Gale, Digital Equity Manager, GRCC - DAISI Project Founder

Digital Inclusion Was Only the Starting Line

For years, digital inclusion has framed much of our national and local response to connectivity gaps. We focused rightly on access: devices, data, and basic digital skills. It was a vital first step. But now, in a climate of austerity, accelerating AI adoption, and widening inequality, inclusion alone is not enough. We must move towards digital equity  a justice-driven approach that ensures people not only access digital tools but benefit from them equitably.

Digital equity is about outcomes, not just inputs. It’s about power, participation, and sustainability. At DAISI, we’ve reoriented our entire model to reflect this and it’s transforming how services are co-designed and delivered.

What Does Digital Equity Look Like in Practice?

Let me be clear: equity does not mean everyone gets the same. It means recognising structural disadvantage  and actively designing services that account for it.

At DAISI, our approach includes:

• Device and data banks triaged using lived experience, not just postcode or income.
• Digital safeguarding pathways embedded in NHS Virtual Wards to address risks such as Domestic Abuse (DA).
• Cyber safety and digital training tailored for Deaf users and people with sensory disabilities.
• The use of open-source platforms to build agency, not lock-in.

These aren’t just ‘inclusion’ projects. They are structural correctives interventions that question who services are failing, and what must change.

Case Study: Virtual Wards – From Risk to Recovery

One of the most powerful examples of equity-led digital design is our contribution to the Gloucestershire Virtual Wards programme.

Through our Digital First Community Support initiative, DAISI influenced how early discharge is managed, particularly where digital health tools interface with complex social realities. We flagged that many patients, especially survivors of Domestic Abuse (DA), were being discharged into environments where digital monitoring could increase risk — for example, if abusers could access devices or overhear consultations.

In response, we helped integrate DA considerations into the digital triage process, ensuring discharge decisions now consider digital safety, not just clinical metrics. It marked a fundamental shift treating digital harm as a safeguarding issue, not a user error.

But equity also means ensuring access to preventative digital health tools, not just crisis response. That’s why our work also included exploring virtual walks and immersive nature experiences for housebound patients interventions designed to reduce isolation, anxiety, and inactivity through low-cost, sensory-rich digital wellbeing tools.

This dual-pronged approach safeguarding risk while enabling recovery, reflects what equity truly demands: contextual, compassionate, co-designed care pathways.

“Being part of the DAISI co-design group gave me my voice back. I didn’t just get a device  I helped design the system that keeps others like me safe.”
– A DAISI participant with lived experience of domestic abuse and digital exclusion

Why This Matters to Councils and Public Services

Digital equity isn’t charity. It’s good governance and efficient design.

When systems are built around equity:

• Duplication and crisis re-entry are reduced
• Staff time is used more effectively
• Residents engage more meaningfully — whether in health, housing, or democratic life

For example, by embracing open-source software and co-designed tools, DAISI has saved over £70,000 annually  money that now funds delivery and logistics.

Councils facing shrinking budgets must understand: Digital equity is not an added cost. It’s a smarter investment.

Global Lessons: RUSTIK and Rural Innovation

Digital equity is not just a local issue. We’ve taken this work into the RUSTIK Horizon Europe project, which explores sustainable rural transformation across 12 regions.

As part of the UK cohort, GRCC is embedding community-led data governance through AI-powered rural dashboards — all co-produced with VCSE groups.

This project shows that digital justice must scale, and that rural areas are not passive recipients — they can be leaders in equitable innovation. The work across all regions can be found here https://rustik-he.eu/

Policy Implications: A Call to Action for Local Leaders

To move beyond tokenism, we must change how digital strategies are framed and funded. I propose the following steps:

• Embed equity impact assessments into all public digital transformation projects
• Fund digital triage roles within community organisations, particularly those trusted by marginalised groups
• Shift from “digital literacy” to “digital agency” — where users influence, not just navigate, systems
• Ensure interoperability by favouring open standards and non-proprietary platforms
• Recognise digital harm as a safeguarding issue, especially in housing, social care, and mental health

Councils and NHS bodies must see community-led digital equity as infrastructure, not outreach.

Tangible Takeaways

• Redesign with communities, not just for them: true co-production builds resilience and relevance
• Scrutinise your data: who is missing? Who benefits from your digital systems? What bias does it contain
• Prioritise sustainability: open tech and circular device schemes save money and increase reach
• View digital harm through the same lens as physical or financial safeguarding

Final Thoughts: Digital Equity as a Compass

Digital equity isn’t a trend, it’s a compass. It orients us towards justice, efficiency, and democratic renewal. It allows us to deliver smarter government, reduce waste, and ensure that no one is left behind as digital transformation accelerates.

I believe the future will not only be judged by how many people are online but by how equitably they can participate, decide, and thrive.

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