Lincolnshire residents now have access to seven new community digital kiosks based in community venues across the county, with another kiosk in Holbeach coming soon.

By utilising these convenient kiosks and tablets, people can access the “Lincolnshire Atrium”, which is a central resource supporting individuals with their health and wellbeing. The kiosks offer information on wellbeing and how to contact the Lincolnshire Mental Health Helpline, as well as signposting to the wide range of activities and groups available through local directories. 

These user-friendly kiosks, based in Boston, Gainsborough, Grantham, Lincoln, Louth, Holbeach, Mablethorpe, and Spilsby, will help to reduce inequalities in Lincolnshire by improving access to technology for those who need it and providing local health and wellbeing information.

Bridge Central, a community venue in Lincoln, has been using the kiosks for several months in addition to supporting local people through community events and groups.
Stacey Marriot, Crisis Café Coordinator, said:

“The Night Light Cafe at Bridge Central offers a non-clinical, out of hours safe space for people who are struggling with their mental health. The community kiosk and tablets have helped equip our team to provide valuable signposting advice to connect our guests with other services which can help meet their specific needs and improve their overall health and wellbeing.” 

The community digital kiosks have been made available thanks to national funding Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LPFT) was able to secure for supporting community mental health transformation.
Steve Skinner, Clinical Lead for steps2change which offers a variety of free NHS psychological and talking therapy services through LPFT, said:

“Digital poverty is a significant barrier to some people accessing healthcare how they would like. The addition of the kiosks is important because it increases options for those who would not normally be able to access our services online. 

“By using the kiosks and tablets, people can access the steps2change website which allows visitors to read verified information on mental health, self-refer to the service, and also attend confidential virtual appointments with steps2change staff if required.”

This project will initially run for two years and will be followed by an evaluation to decide whether the kiosks should remain in the hubs for an extended period.

David Jones, Business Development Manager at LPFT and Transformation Lead for Digital said: 

“We have utilised national NHS England funding in an innovative way in partnership with health and social care system colleagues to enable access to digital services in community settings across the county. 

“Our delivery partners Pinntec Limited have been excellent in delivering what we need and working with our community sites to install the equipment. We hope the kiosks enable local people to access support and information in different way, as well as providing much needed digital access.”

Please contact the venues directly or visit their websites for details about opening times and access to the kiosks and tablets.

Several tablets are still available for use by other community hubs in Lincolnshire. We encourage interested venues to get in touch by emailing Leanne at leanne.taylor31@nhs.net