The Inquiry, which was launched in the previous Parliament, considered key issues facing older people in their full participation in society and examining whether the current policies in place are effective in addressing these challenges.

Dr Emilene Zitkus, who is a Senior Lecturer in Inclusive Design at the School of Design and Creative Arts has expertise in digital inclusion was invited to give oral evidence to the Inquiry last year in a session which focussed on how older people are at risk of being digitally excluded in society. She answered a breadth of questions, including on what best practice in digital support for older people looks like, particularly in the context of services moving online since the pandemic.

The Inquiry’s final report cited Dr Zitkus a total of thirteen times, and the press release said: “On digital exclusion from essential services, it warned some older people are at high risk, including in aspects of healthcare, local authority services, benefits and banking, adding it is a ‘considerable failure of government’ that the UK’s digital inclusion strategy has not been updated in over a decade.”

Following the Inquiry’s final report, the UK Government announced its new Digital Inclusion Action Plan, which aims to give all people the appropriate digital skills to fully engage with all aspects of society.

A full writeup can be found on the Policy Unit website, which includes Emilene’s reflections on using her research to engage with policy.