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Case Study

Supporting Digital Inclusion Within Secondary Care:

NHS App Support at Sherwood Forest Hospitals

At Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, digital inclusion support is being delivered directly within secondary care settings, ensuring patients and staff can access digital health services at the point of care.

Max, Digital Inclusion Coordinator at Sherwood Forest Hospitals, is embedded within the hospital environment, providing on the ground digital support to patients attending outpatient clinics and inpatient settings, as well as supporting workforce colleagues. His role is focused on helping people navigate digital health tools in real time, particularly the NHS App and Patients Know Best (PKB), the personal health record linked to the NHS App.

Working closely with clinical teams and administrative staff, Max supports patients with accessing appointment information, digital letters and health records, often immediately before or after appointments. This approach allows digital support to be offered when it is most relevant and helpful.

“Being based in the hospital means I’m able to support patients at the moment they need it,” Max explained. “Whether that’s helping someone find their appointment letter before a clinic, resetting login details, or explaining how digital letters work, we can deal with things straight away rather than expecting patients to sort it out later on their own.”

Maxwell Rousell
Max Rousell, Digital Inclusion Co-ordinator at SFH
A key part of Max’s role involves identifying patients who may struggle with digital access and offering targeted, one to one support. Common barriers within secondary care include forgotten login details, limited access to devices, or low confidence using digital services. By being present in clinic and ward settings, many of these issues can be resolved on the spot.
Max also plays an important role in supporting the transition from paper to digital communication, particularly digital letters. While helping to reduce reliance on paper, the focus remains firmly on ensuring patients are not excluded and understand their choices.b

“For some patients, digital letters are really helpful once they understand how they work,” Max said. “Others still prefer paper, and that’s absolutely fine. My role isn’t about pushing digital by default — it’s about explaining the options clearly and helping people make informed choices.”

This real time, point of care support also helps relieve wider service pressures. By improving access to appointment information and digital reminders, Max’s work supports efforts to reduce missed appointments and improve patient experience across the Trust.


Alongside his hospital based work, Max also supports targeted outreach activity in non clinical settings when appropriate. A recent example included an NHS App awareness session at Mansfield Town Football Club, where support was delivered in a familiar, trusted community venue on a busy Saturday afternoon.

digital inclusion session at One Call Stadium, Mansfield
The informal, conversational approach helped reach people who may not usually attend health based digital sessions and reinforced the importance of tailoring language, setting and approach to suit different audiences.

“Whether I’m in a clinic or at a football ground, the principle is the same,” Max said. “It’s about breaking things down, reducing anxiety, and helping people feel more confident. The difference is that in hospital settings, that support can be directly linked to someone’s care there and then.”

Max works closely with the wider Digital Inclusion and NHS App teams across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, helping ensure a consistent approach across primary, community and secondary care settings. His role demonstrates the value of having a dedicated Digital Inclusion Coordinator embedded within secondary care, complementing community based outreach and ensuring digital support is available where patients are already receiving care.


Sherwood Forest Hospitals will continue to build on this approach, recognising the impact that hospital based digital inclusion support can have on patient confidence, access to information, and overall experience of care.

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