As with many older people in the UK, older LGBTQ+ people are often facing challenges with the rapid shift to the increasingly digital society we live in today. This may be due to a lack of confidence with digital technologies, limited access to devices and difficulties understanding how to navigate different online services and platforms.
From booking GP appointments online to managing finances or simply staying in touch with loved ones, digital exclusion can deepen isolation and worsen physical and mental health outcomes.
Since 2020, Yorkshire-based LGBTQ+ charity, Out Together has been dedicated to breaking down social and cultural barriers, bringing people together and building a visible, connected and empowered LGBTQ+ community across all generations and regions in the UK, so they can find belonging, joy and success in their lives. To this end, the charity has developed a range of successful initiatives to build inclusive social intergenerational communities.
With the majority of Out Together’s current member base comprised of older LGBTQ+ people, many of whom have faced a lifetime of invisibility, isolation and discrimination, its support has helped them to overcome any lasting sense of shame, stigma and oppression.
Why older LGBTQ+ people are at particular risk of digital exclusion
Many older LGBTQ+ people face additional barriers when it comes to accessing digital services. This is often linked to struggling with trust, due to growing up in a time when being LGBTQ+ was heavily stigmatised, and when places like social and healthcare settings were not always safe and supportive spaces.
Sadly, the history of how LGBTQ+ people have been treated has had a lasting impact on how comfortable people feel today about engaging with services, and has shaped the way many people live, and their view of the world. Sadly, this has led to many LGBTQ+ people believing that mainstream services have not been designed with them in mind – and especially when they now feel the impact of digital exclusion too.
Older LGBTQ+ people are also often more likely to live alone and be estranged from family. Individuals who are isolated and feeling digitally excluded and unsupported are less likely to seek help when they need it – and this can have a profound impact on people’s wellbeing.
Digital inclusion support from Out Together and Patient.info
Recognising this profound impact of digital exclusion on older LGBTQ+ people, Yorkshire-based LGBTQ+ charity, Out Together, has partnered with one of the UK’s most trusted digital health platforms, Patient.info, to develop digital inclusion hubs across Yorkshire.
These hubs aim to help tackle health and social inequalities and help empower older LGBTQ+ people to use digital technologies and services confidently.
Thomas Porteus, entrepreneur and leader of Patient.info, is also chair of Out Together, and is bringing his strategy, technology and communications expertise to the project, along with his desire to improve community, digital accessibility, social impact and inclusion.
Porteous commented: “Digital confidence has become essential for accessing healthcare and managing your wellbeing, yet too many older LGBTQ+ people are still excluded. Through this partnership withPatient.info, we can combine trusted health expertise with safe, welcoming community spaces.
“I am proud that Out Together is helping people take control of their digital lives and feel more connected to the support they deserve.”
What support will be available at the digital inclusion hubs?
The digital inclusion hubs provide important services, such as access to devices and helping people learn about online safety. They also cover topics such as accessing healthcare services: such as showing people how to use the NHS App, how to book GP appointments and use online consultation systems. Other key areas that can make people’s lives easier and less isolating are also included, such as online banking and shopping, email and social media, and emerging technologies such as AI.
Where can you join a digital inclusion hub?
The first digital inclusion hub opened in Leeds and, following a successful pilot in 2025, the hub is still running regularly. Out Together and Patient.info have recently secured joint funding through the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund, to enable them to expand the vital digital inclusion hubs and support services for older LGBTQ+ people across Yorkshire.
Throughout January and February 2026 hubs will be launched in Bradford, Wakefield, Huddersfield, Hebden Bridge, Harrogate and York.
Together, Out Together and Patient.info are also developing a national digital health hub and volunteer network, which will enable more people to access services. This national service will reach people from across the UK and those who cannot access in-person sessions.
Helping members find community, support and confidence
Each in-person hub will be run as a regular group to support people and build their confidence through its expertise and reputation. It will also help reduce social isolation and continue to try to remove barriers that people may face.
At its heart, the initiative recognises that digital access is no longer a luxury. It is the essential infrastructure for health, wellbeing and independence – and older LGBTQ+ people are among those most at risk from the negative consequences of digital exclusion.
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