Levelling Up with Liverpool 5G Create

Liverpool 5G Create may provide an opportunity to level up health, education and economic opportunities.

12:04 14 March 2022

Liverpool 5G Create is the driving force behind the mobile health, social care and education project in Kensington. Its goal is to help the government level up its plans to improve health, education and the economy by affording everybody with access to reliable connectivity. 

 

The scheme is part of the 5G Testbeds and Trial Programme and is fully funded by the Department of Culture, Media and Sports. It is led by the University of Liverpool with partners Liverpool City Council, Blu Wireless Technology, Broadway Partners, Liverpool John Moores University, CGA Simulation, Docobo, NHS Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group and Merseycare NHS Foundation Trust. 

 

Project director Rosemary Kay said: “The pandemic led to an increase in remote services, highlighting the impact of digital poverty on health inequalities, and the need for equal access to technology across different communities. However, investment in people’s health and education needs to be a long-term commitment. Providing affordable connectivity for children in every community – enabling them to home school or do their homework – will help the government achieve longer-term targets around training, employment and improved well-being.”

 

“Liverpool 5G supports Liverpool’s own levelling-up ambitions,” said Frazer Lake, cabinet member for social care and health at Liverpool City Council.

 

“Liverpool’s Local Plan lists ‘social value’ as a key marker for improving living standards in the region,” he said. “Liverpool 5G is certainly delivering that as it offers a sustainable solution for many. People often don’t access the public services they need because they can’t afford data and connectivity charges; what they can afford gives them unreliable connectivity. For levelling up to be successful, we need to support innovative and affordable models for delivering digital services.”