ICS digital leaders prioritising Shared Health and Care Records

A new snapshot survey of Integrated Care System digital leaders has identified Shared Health and Care Records as their highest digital priority, followed by health provider digitisation.

When asked to rank the highest local digital priority the top score was given to ‘levelling up lower digital maturity organisations’ with second spot given to ‘convergence on acute EPRs across the ICS’.

When asked what the impact of deep cuts to budgets will have on local ICS digital plans, 25% of respondents said it would have a big impact and 69% said it would have a significant impact.

Asked about digital leadership appointed locally, an impressive 69% said that they had appointed a chief digital information officer; while half had appointed a CCIO; but none had yet appointed a CNIO. The small-scale survey suggests there may be a serious under-representation of nursing digital leaders within ICSs.

The survey was undertaken by Digital Health on behalf of the ICS Digital Council, a new two-year project established to help digital leaders working in integrated care systems to exchange best practice and experience on digital and data, through case studies, webinars and meetings.

The ICS Digital Council is sported by Dell and chaired by Paul Charnley, Co-Chair Digital Blueprinting Steering Committee, with Dr Alec Price Forbes as the clinical vice chair, and includes social care and patient representation. Established in March, the group has already begun to provide an informed ICS perspective to NHS England on topics including digital maturity assessments and ensuring digital investment includes social care and third sector bodies.

Jon Hoeksma CEO of Digital Health said: “This snapshot survey highlights that Shared Health and Care Records remain key to the delivery of ICS ambitions, as does finishing provider digitisation. However, the deep 30% cuts that ICSs are required are clearly constraining their ability to deliver digital plans.”

ICS Digital Leaders who are members of Digital Health Networks were surveyed in June with 16 completing the survey.

The survey report will be published to members of ICS Digital Council and Digital Health Networks.

You can download a copy of the Digital Health Intelligence ICS Digital Priorities snapshot report here.