Bridging the Digital Divide - summary report - June 2026
90 Surrey residents spoke to us at our community engagement events or via our survey.
In this report we also share a spotlight on the particular difficulties of using online services for those who are homeless.
Key findings
We found an almost even split between those accessing GP services online and those who did so over the phone, with only a small number of people approaching their GP practice in person. There was a small rise in the number of people using online access (both GP practice websites and the NHS App).
People who used online services found them efficient, although others described them as time consuming and frustrating.
Since summer 2025 - what would make it easier for people to access GP services online are still the same, as are what people would like to be able to do onlinem ore easily.
We found an increase in people choosing to use the telephone to make appointments with people continuing to feel pressured to make appointments online. People also mentioned 'buzzwords' that they felt they needed to use to get an appointment.
A key barrier for homeless people is that registering with a GP without a permanent address is difficult but other barriers were also not having access to the internet, and having other concerns or appointments which meant that health was not a priority.
With regard to AI use, the main concerns remained a lack of trust in a relatively new technology, the quality of the data informing AI and the lack of/preference for human interaction.
“My phone doesn’t support the App. I tried to download it but it wouldn’t let me do it. I hate anything online... I do need to get down there again because I need to renew my meds for my mental health and I need a new inhaler but when I went last time they said there were no appointments for a month and to download the App. Now I don’t know what to do.”
