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A new digital organisation for NHS Wales
Health and Social Services Minister, Vaughan Gething, has announced plans to transform digital health and care in Wales. The plans include creating the role of Chief Digital Officer for Health and Care and a new NHS Wales organisation to deliver national digital services, supported by £50m new funding.
The Chief Digital Officer for Health and Care will define national standards for digital software and services, as part of moving to an open digital architecture, across all digital systems. The CDO will also advise Welsh Government on digital strategy, lead the digital profession, and be a champion for digital health and care in Wales.
NHS Wales Informatics Service will transition to a new standalone NHS Wales organisation, reflecting the importance of digital and data in modern health and care. The new organisation will be a Special Health Authority, like the recently established Health Education and Improvement Wales. It will have an independent chair and board, appointed by Welsh Ministers.
A Healthier Wales
, the Welsh Government's plan for health and care, identifies the development of digital services as key to delivering services fit for the future.
Alongside strengthened leadership and delivery arrangements, A Healthier Wales commits to significantly increased investment in digital. A £50m Digital Priorities Investment Fund will drive improvements across five themes:
- Transforming digital services for patients and public
- Transforming digital services for professionals
- Investing in data and intelligent information
- Modernising devices and moving to cloud services
- Cyber-security and resilience
The Health Minister has also commissioned four strategic reviews of digital health and care in Wales, which will lead to the publication next year of an all Wales Digital Infrastructure Plan, a Digital Workforce Plan, a Commercial Strategy and a Communication Strategy.
"I am determined that we maintain the pace of transformation, so that we use new digital technologies to benefit the public and patients in Wales, and to make our health and care services sustainable for future generations."
Health and Social Services Minister, Vaughan Gething
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My Health Online promotional material available
Patients
in Wales are using My Health Online to book appointments with their GP, and to order repeat prescriptions. Some practices have clinic appointments available online,
and offer their patients access to parts of their GP record, including medications, allergies and immunisations.
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Students praise digital degrees
Students about to embark on the second year of degrees run by the Wales Institute of Digital Information have spoken about how useful the course has been.
"Over the last year I've learnt skills that I've applied to my role, and I've successfully progressed in the organisation" said s
econd year student, Jess Marfell. "It's given me the confidence and technical knowledge to bring back to my professional career."
Nine of the students on the second-year of the part-time degrees work for the NHS Wales Informatics Service. All are completing courses in either Data & Information Systems; Business and Information Systems; Computer Networks & Cyber Security or Software Engineering.
The Wales Institute of Digital Information is a partnership between NWIS and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) supporting the development of a digital workforce for health informatics.
The degrees are accredited by the British Computer Society giving graduates Chartered IT Professional (CITP) status. Additionally, the software engineering programmes gained partial Chartered Engineer (CEng) status.
"The relationship is becoming an organic process with new benefits emerging on a weekly basis," said
Professor Wendy Dearing, Head of Workforce & Organisational Development at NWIS and a Professor of Practice at UWTSD said. "Masterclasses have been delivered by NWIS staff for UWTSD students and degree apprentices, and in return UWTSD academics have delivered short, specific development programmes for NWIS staff."
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Technology and people connect at Cardiff's Connectathon
Earlier this month, NHS Wales Informatics Service and NHS Digital hosted a two-day 'Connectathon' at Cardiff City Stadium.
The Connectathon, now in its third year, provided guidance and information for those who manage and use complex code systems such as SNOMED CT, as well as other health and social care code systems. The conference highlights the best ways to share and utilize the terms and codes used to represent care data.
Many of the presenters and attendees said that the event was highly informative and useful.
Rebecca Cook, Head of Information Standards said how pleased she was with the turn out and how delighted NWIS was to be hosting the "biggest yet" Connectathon.
Representatives from Australia's national science research agency, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), also attended. CSIRO's Lead in Health Informatics Research, Michael Lawley, who spoke at the event said he was "amazed and excited by the level of enthusiasm and engagement of all the attendees."
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Welsh Clinical Portal mobile app shortlisted for national award
NHS Wales Informatics Service has been shortlisted for a Digital Entrepreneur Award for innovation in the public sector for our Welsh Clinical Portal mobile app.
The Digital Entrepreneur Awards, taking place on 21 November in London, are the only national awards dedicated to championing digital entrepreneurialism and innovation across the UK.
The development of the mobile app means that clinicians across Wales
can access information about their patients from
the Welsh Clinical Portal while on-the-go and at the bedside from a mobile device. It allows patient-specific push notifications and the facility for clinical staff to also access data on their patients'
diagnosis, locations,
and
pending activity.
"This award recognises the considerable efforts of our development team
s, infrastructure and security colleagues, contributing clinicians and the project manager," said
Griff Williams, manager of the Welsh Clinical Portal. "Specific individuals from across the organisation worked
in collaboration towards the common goal of
taking this innovative product from concept into research and development, evolution, testing
and implementation - via internationally available app stores. The application revolutionises clinician access to Welsh health record data."
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Boost to GP electronic test requests
The performance and speed of entering and using the application has been greatly improved - with practices now able to go directly into the system.
Practices using EMIS systems can
connect to the GPTR directly
via the 'Dragon icon', and Vision practices have it in their drop-down menu.
With thousands of blood tests being performed in Wales every week, GPTR is helping to process results quicker. Until recently, test requests have been made mostly on paper, but now staff can process the requests and receive the results digitally. Aneurin Bev
an has been the best performing health board for the system this year, with 52 practices there using the full application.
"Everyone in the practice is very pleased we switched and wouldn't want to be without it now" said Gaynor Pick, Practice Manager at Newport's Underwood Health Centre.
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NWIS Director Andrew Griffiths stepping down
Andrew Griffiths is to step down as Director of the NHS Wales Informatics Service and Chief Information Officer for Wales at the end of December.
Andrew has been instrumental in driving forward digitial development for NHS Wales. He was a member of the working group that oversaw the delivery of the original 'Informing Healthcare' strategy.
He joined the Informing Healthcare Programme in 2004 and then in latter years as the lead director for the NHS Wales Informatics Service.
Helen Thomas, currently NWIS Information Services Director, will be taking on the role of Interim Director of the NHS Wales Informatics Service, pending the recruitment and appointment of Andrew's permanent replacement.
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Introducing the Digital Healthcare Wales Podcast
The podcasts are a collaboration between the NHS Wales Informatics Service Communications Team and the NHS Wales e-library for health. Our first two are available for listening, downloading and sharing at
walesinformatics.podbean.com.
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Spotlight on IT for community pharmacies in Wales
PublicTechnology, a leading source of breaking news and analysis for digital, data, and IT professionals throughout the public sector, has written about our work
to transform the treatment of minor illnesses by enabling community pharmacists to access digital healthcare records.
The article, "How Digital Records are Changing NHS Care in Wales," focuses on our recently completed
Sore Throat Test and Treat pilot, that allows community pharmacists to treat many patients directly rather than waiting for a GP appointment.
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