Clinical informatics teams must mirror organisation and journey says Sinha

Devesh Sinha, CCIO at Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Foundation Trust, has told the Digital Health Rewired 2024 audience that trusts “need to create a clinical informatics team that mirrors the organisation and journey”.

In the opening session on the Digital Leadership and Teams Stage, the focus was on ‘leading digital programmes under intense pressure’, with presentations from Dr Penny Kechagioglou, Devesh Sinha and Janet Dodd.

Sinha shined a light on the significant challenges facing acute NHS trusts, including clinical informatics teams mirroring the patient journey, EPR development, and long-term development and standards.

As well as stressing that trusts need clinical informatics teams that mirror the organisation and journey, he said they must also find a balance between operational and informatics resources.

Dr Kechagioglou, CCIO and deputy CMO at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, highlighted how her organisation’s “EPR is a key enabler to strategic vision” and that when it comes to leading digital programmes, the “digital problems are a lot about people rather than technology”.

She also said that for digital to be fully embraced, all stakeholders need to realise the benefits and impact the change will have and that it is acceptable to make mistakes. “Failure is OK, as long as we fail fast and learn from it,” she added.

Janet Dodd, clinical support matron at Sheffield Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, explained that the healthcare workforce is stretched for various reasons, including a higher acuity of children and young people and winter pressures.

She said that “fear of digital” is one of the key challenges of embracing digital change, alongside logins and passwords, WiFi and starters and leavers.

Digital Health Rewired is taking place at the NEC in Birmingham 12-13 March. The programme is available here. You can still register to attend on site at Hall 8 of the NEC.