HIIC gets digital

With the on-going COVID-19 crisis and the increasing impact it’s having on our day-to-day life and the way that we work and deliver services – our HIIC tutors are adapting their delivery so that they are able to stay connected and continue supporting their groups at a time that has proven most important than ever.

Here is an example of how HIIC tutor Fiona Douglas from NHS Lanarkshire has changed her delivery amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. Fiona and her group Lanarkshire tried Zoom for the first time and here’s what Fiona had to say:

• On the Free account you only get 40 minutes, which goes by very fast when folk are still new to this. No one managed to get their video, audio and sign in done speedily, so the time went by very quickly.

• The quality of the internet connection is crucial. One participant was using her phone on 3G and she kept pausing or breaking up. She is being mailed out notes and handouts.  Everyone else was clear throughout (using laptops and broadband).

• The record facility is handy so that you can keep an electronic version of the session in case anyone can't make it along.

• We'll need one more session just for folk to play about, but it could definitely be used to have discussions and do many of the HIIC activities. 

• The 'share' button allows any caller to share a document/photo/whiteboard etc, so that's almost like us using a flip chart, and everyone can contribute ideas if they press 'annotate'

• Above all, everyone there today said they were just really glad to 'be together', one participant said 'you don't know how much this means to me', so it's definitely worth persevering through the tech glitches just to find a way to connect people. 

Thank you to Fiona and the group for sharing their experience. The HIIC team hope that by sharing the learning of our HIIC tutors, others can benefit and continue to support and deliver their services successfully during this difficult time. Also please let us know how you and your group are getting on and what tools you have found useful.

If you have any questions or need advice on ways to support your communities, SCDC are offering free guidance to community organisations to help them keep their communities connected using digital tools - find out more  here.