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Wiltshire launches digital gateway for military families

Summarised from 4 outlets · Updated 14 Oct, 06:00 · Archive

Wiltshire has launched the Connected Wellbeing gateway to improve health and support for military families through a single digital login.

Wiltshire has launched the Connected Wellbeing gateway, a new digital support service designed to improve health and wellbeing for military families. The platform brings together access to healthcare, education, employment, housing and council services through a single login. It also includes a secure online community to help address the loneliness and isolation often experienced by military families.

The service was shaped by feedback from families in Wiltshire and is part of a wider programme of work developed by Healthwatch Wiltshire, which engaged with military families to understand their needs and inform service improvements. Wiltshire is home to one of the UK's largest military communities, with more than 30,000 serving personnel, reservists, veterans and family members.

Military families told Healthwatch that frequent relocations often led to disrupted healthcare, repeated waiting lists, changes in schooling and a sense of isolation. These experiences formed the basis of two Military Families Summits, which brought together public health officials, Wiltshire Council, armed forces representatives and military health services to identify priorities and coordinate action.

The Connected Wellbeing platform uses WeServed, an online service designed to improve access to information and build peer support. Colonel Mike Smith said that Healthwatch's independence was key to the project's success, noting that the organisation 'built strong relationships with the Armed Forces community, made people feel comfortable sharing their experiences and ensured those voices were heard alongside the wider evidence'.

The platform complements the Belong in Wiltshire website, which was co-designed to support armed forces families and is hosted by Wiltshire Council.

Wiltshire launches digital gateway for military families
Image: This Is Wiltshire

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In this story: Wiltshire Council · Healthwatch Wiltshire · Colonel Mike Smith · Wiltshire

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