The RIX Multi Me Toolkit ‘Stay Connected’ Project Evaluation Report

The RIX Multi Me Toolkit ‘Stay Connected’ project was funded through the Techforce19 (TF19) competition organised by NHSx with the AHSN Network and supported by the Government Digital Service, the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The mission of the TF19 competition was to identify, support and make available to communities at scale innovative new technologies that ‘can help support the vulnerable, elderly and self-isolating as COVID-19 continues to spread.’

RIX responded with a proposed digital social care network solution to assist isolated people with mild and moderate learning disabilities and with dual diagnosis of LD and autism, who are normally supported to live in their communities, receiving domiciliary social care. This cohort included adults with learning disability and autism living with family, parents and carers alongside those in residential care and nursing homes.

This report presents the findings of the RIX Multi Me Toolkit software implementation in two phases between April 2020 and May 2021. The evaluation was conducted by RIX Research and Media with the social care, education and health provider services that participated in the use of RIX Multi Me Toolkit during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The final evaluation took place in March 2021.

In summary, the project evaluation and data analysis evidenced the positive impact of a digital person-centred intervention to help provide care for people with LD and autism and their families and carers facing the challenges of the public health emergency. It also demonstrated the significant adverse impacts of digital exclusion for this population, particularly in less affluent communities.