Lancashire and South Cumbria leads the way in building a digital ready workforce
Date posted: 2nd February 2018
The Lancashire and South Cumbria Sustainability and Transformation Partnership has been leading the way nationally in testing approaches and developing resources to support leaders in understanding how digital tools can be used to improve health and care.
As part of the ‘Building a digital ready workforce’ initiative, led by Health Education England and NHS Digital, Digital Leadership Workshops have been delivered at Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust and Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in January.
The sessions were designed, run and supported by local Chief Information Officers and Clinical Chief Information Officers in partnership with nominated Non-Executive Directors and facilitated by national representatives from Health Education England and NHS Digital.
The sessions presented to leaders and board members:
- Tools to support them to identify benefits of how ‘digital’ can help transform services and what this looks like in practice
- Links which show how digital is essential to frameworks which are already in place
- Ways in which they could develop their understanding and confidence in their organisations ability to address data sharing and security concerns
Dr Amanda Thornton, Clinical Lead for Digital Health for the STP, commented: “The Board Development sessions have been valuable in supporting leaders to discuss and plan ways of working together that ensure digital tools and initiatives are used to transform the way care is delivered for the benefit of local people.”
A further workshop is planned for the Lancashire and South Cumbria STP Board and a summary of the feedback and lessons learned will help create a national plan of digital initiatives to be presented to Boards and Leaders in 2018-19.
The ‘Building a digital ready workforce’ initiative aims to support frontline staff, patients and local people to use digital tools to improve health and care as part of the National Information Board’s strategy, Personalised Health and Care 2020 – a framework for action (PHC 2020). The publication highlighted the importance of health and care leaders in promoting digital health and understanding the role it plays in system transformation and development.