May 2022
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Celebrating one year of Wales' digital nursing system, the Welsh Nursing Care Record

It has been just over a year since the Welsh Nursing Care Record (WNCR) first rolled out in Swansea Bay Health Board in Spring 2021. Since then, NHS Wales’s digital nursing system has gone from strength to strength as it has rapidly rolled out across the country.

WNCR is a digital system that is transforming the way nurses record, store and access patient information. Rather than making notes on paper at a patient's bedside, nurses are using tablets to capture information and store it securely in the WNCR, so that care givers along a patient's healthcare journey have access to the same, up-to-date information.

Nurses have sung the praises of the system, saying it is ‘worth its weight in gold’, and Mandy Rayani- Hywel Dda University Health Board’s Director of Nursing, Quality and Patient Experience says she doesn’t know how they managed without it.

Greg Dix, Executive Nurse Director at Cwm Taf Morganwwg added that it’s been a ‘game-changer’ for the staff in both releasing time to care, but also the level of assurance that the system provides from an audit perspective.

For more information about the WNCR, head to our website.
NHS Wales launches dedicated Microsoft innovation hub for staff


The NHS Wales Microsoft 365 Centre of Excellence has been launched to drive creative digital innovation across NHS Wales and support staff using Microsoft 365 (M365) software.

Hosted within Digital Health and Care Wales, the Centre of Excellence’s aim is to boost successful, sustainable improvement projects across NHS Wales by sharing best practice, developing knowledge, supporting new ideas, and helping to scale successful M365 solutions across health boards.

The Centre of Excellence builds upon the work of the existing M365 programme team, which has guided the implementation and development of M365 since the move from multiple contracts to a single NHS Wales-wide deal in 2019.

A M365 Champions Network is available to all NHS Wales staff with an interest in M365 innovation, offering training and networking opportunities. Find out more information and request to join on the Centre of Excellence SharePoint site.
Microsoft event offers digital innovation support to emergency department staff
NHS Wales emergency department (ED) staff are invited to join the NHS Wales Microsoft 365 Centre of Excellence for its fourth hackathon event on Wednesday 25 May 2022. 

Facilitated by Microsoft, the half-day session is for all ED staff, both clinical and administrative, to understand how Microsoft 365 (M365) tools can help them to solve operational challenges with digital solutions.

The Centre of Excellence team will demonstrate digital solutions that are possible from the available technology, along with real life examples from NHS Wales staff who have co-created their own successful M365 apps and automations. Additional breakout sessions will give attendees time and space to think about their own ideas or challenges relevant to their operational area. They can then share those ideas with colleagues and collaborate to solve common problems.

After the hackathon, the Centre of Excellence team will follow up with attendees to explore how their ideas can be turned into M365 solutions, how they can be supported, and what next steps should be taken.

Previous hackathons have included site-based staff, community-based staff, and the NHS Wales finance community. Each session has produced close to 40 innovative ideas that automate overly manual processes and improve productivity, both at a local and national level. 
Fully-funded places available on NHS Digital Health Leadership Programme

The Welsh Government has funded five places on the national learning programme for NHS candidates, which results in a Postgraduate Diploma in Digital Health Leadership, awarded by Imperial College London.

The programme is part of the NHS Digital Academy, which aims to develop a new generation of digital changemakers who will drive information and technology transformation in the NHS.
It is aimed at NHS or public sector employees currently working in health informatics or roles where they are required to drive and implement practical digital transformational change.

The year-long course employs a blended learning approach that includes online modules, live sessions, and experiential learning.

The Welsh Government has provided funding for five places on this year’s programme. To apply for the funding, candidates need to submit an application online before the deadline on 29th May.


Email [email protected] for application support or with any questions about the programme.
New executive directors join DHCW Board

Digital Health and Care Wales is pleased to welcome two new executive directors to the Board this month.
 
Sarah-Jane Taylor is Director of People and Organisational Development and Gareth Davis has taken up the post of Interim Director of Operations.
 
Prior to joining DHCW, Sarah-Jane worked in government and the NHS at Director level for over 25 years, and led on transformation of services across diverse workforce groups in the civil service and public services.
 
She said: “The organisational passion, drive and optimism amongst everyone that I have met so far has been fantastic. I have received such a warm welcome and am really looking forward to getting to know everyone better, and in working together to achieve the aims and objectives of DHCW.”
 
Gareth Davis brings a wealth of experience in delivering operational stability and digital transformation into the public sector and has an innovative and customer led mindset.

He said: “I am very excited about my role at DHCW, especially during this important time of digital transformation throughout NHS Wales. I am looking forward to working alongside the team and key stakeholders and using my experience to drive technical innovation throughout."
 
DHCW also recently welcomed Ifan Evans, previously Welsh Government Director for Technology, Digital and Transformation as its Executive Director of Strategy.