November 2022

DHCW named 'Best Place to Work in IT'

Digital Health and Care Wales has won this year's ‘Best Place to Work in IT’.

The award from the British Computing Society (BCS) UK IT Industry is given to organisations providing the best employment and career opportunities for IT professionals.

Judges pinpointed our organisation’s value to IT, its commitment to diversity and inclusion as well as skill and career development for staff.

"We are delighted to receive this award," our CEO Helen Thomas said. "It is a fantastic achievement for all of us and I'd like to thank all staff at DHCW who make it such a great place to work. We are very proud of the work we do to help the NHS in Wales use digital for better care.

DHCW Service Desk Lead, Tracy Norris, also placed as a finalist in the IT Service and Support Professional of the Year category acknowledging her commitment toward providing high-quality IT service, support or training to users of IT systems, and meeting key objectives for customer satisfaction and delivery of agreed service levels.

NHS Wales App released in early 'beta' phase

A 'beta' version of the new NHS Wales App went live this month and is being trialled by around a thousand people registered at ten GP practices in Wales. 

The NHS Wales App gives people secure access to health and care services through their smartphone, tablet or laptop.

After months of hard work and development within the Digital Services for Patients and Public (DSPP) programme, the private 'beta' phase allows users to test the functionality and features to be included when the app launches for public use next year. Valuable feedback will identify any issues or bugs in the software.

People will be able to access information in the app by using NHS Login for account authentication and verification in the first instance. Then login will be available using device capabilities such as fingerprint or facial recognition. A website version is also available allowing access through a similar password protected and safe process.

The NHS Wales App meet strict accessibility guidelines and will be accessible to people with visual impairment.

For more information on the NHS Wales App and Digital Services for Patients and the Public, visit our webpage at Digital Services for Patients and Public - Digital Health and Care Wales or listen to our latest Digital Health Care Wales podcast with Tracy Higgs - Product Lead at the Software Developer, Kainos and Matt Cornish - Digital Health and Care Wales Programme Director for Digital Services for Patients and the Public.

Big step for electronic prescribing and medicines management in Wales' hospitals

A framework contract for new and improved hospital e-prescribing and medicines administration has been agreed. The contract award will allow hospitals in Wales to install the latest digital technology for prescribing and managing the administration of medicines.

It means that over time, patients and healthcare professionals will notice improvements in how patients’ medicines and medicines information is managed. The framework has an option of three suppliers for health boards to choose from, and is available from November 2022. 

Read more on our website. 

New partnership to deliver the best digital prescribing solutions for NHS Wales

An innovative partnership is announced between the Centre for Digital Public Services (CDPS) and Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW) to focus on the delivery of new electronic prescribing that is safer, more effective and efficient, for patients and healthcare professionals across Wales.

The arrangement is a key element within DHCW’s Digital Medicines Transformation Portfolio, which will replace out-dated paper systems with digital prescribing and medicines administration across NHS Wales. 



The partnership will bring together expertise from both organisations to understand what matters to patients and healthcare professionals so the design and delivery of digital services meets their needs.

In the first phase of partnership working, research will take place to follow the ‘user journey’ as staff and patients make use of existing paper-based prescription and medicine services. 

Taking place between now and the end of the year it will examine the steps in current user journeys to identify opportunities for improvements to new digital solutions and services, based on user feedback and experience. This will ensure new services deliver the best outcomes and make the whole process easier, safer and more efficient for all.

Read more on our DHCW website.

Two national digital programmes transfer to Digital Health and Care Wales

The NHS Wales Health Collaborative Executive Group has agreed that the Laboratory Information Network Cymru (LINC) and Radiology Informatics System Procurement (RISP) Digital Programmes will transfer to Digital Health and Care Wales.

DHCW is already the contracting authority for the master services agreement for the new Laboratory Information Management System and will be the contracting authority for the Radiology Informatics System currently being procured. The new arrangements will enable DHCW to manage the implementation and associated risks of these programmes.



It will mean that staff members currently working on the LINC and RISP programmes for the Collaborative (hosted by Public Health Wales), will become employees of DHCW.

DHCW to lead and enable Research and Innovation

DHCW is establishing a renewed focus in the area of research and innovation, growing on the work it already undertakes with partner organisations across Wales in the areas of improvement, innovation and research in health and social care. 

Research and innovation can increase the effectiveness and efficiency of healthcare and can support healthcare organisations and services to provide better care for people. 

A small, dedicated team and function will coordinate and support research and innovation work across DHCW and build on the work that is already taking place. 

More available on our news page.

DHCW's Independent Board member Marilyn Bryan-Jones commended for her contributions to race equality and inclusion

Marilyn Bryan-Jones, recently appointed as an Independent Board Member at DHCW, has won an award at the Black History Wales National Community Awards for Wales 2022 for her contributions to race equality and inclusion.



Black History Wales engages, educates and empowers individuals, community groups and Wales-wide communities in acknowledging and recognising the contribution that Black people have made in the history of Wales’ economic and cultural development. Originally it was to celebrate the people from Caribbean & African heritage but this has now been extended to include all Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic communities. It also allows the wider community to take part, learn and celebrate together to promote understanding and share our global history.

Choose Pharmacy STTT boosts infection screening stewardship

Community pharmacists in Wales are using a bacterial detection service to encourage patients to screen against infections.

Choose Pharmacy’s Sore Throat Test and Treat service (STTT) promotes antimicrobial stewardship by using a stepwise approach of a clinical examination by a pharmacist and, for patients who meet the criteria, an on-the-spot sore throat swab service to screen against bacterial infections. If bacteria are not detected, the sore throat is probably caused by a virus - meaning antibiotics will not help. Results from the throat swab are provided in minutes, and if a bacterial infection is present and the patient can be helped by antibiotics, they may be supplied by the pharmacist. 

Antibiotics are only supplied after the pharmacist discusses benefits and possible harms, including antibiotic resistance. Results are sent digitally to the patient’s GP via Choose Pharmacy, the digital infrastructure that DHCW developed to support provision of services in community pharmacies in Wales.

At an Infection Research meeting in Sweden recently, DHCW Clinical Research And Evaluation Manager and Reader at the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Cardiff University, Dr Efi Mantzourani, spoke to members of GRIN (the General practice Research on Infection Network) - a European network of researchers studying respiratory tract and other infections in primary care about the benefits of the service. 

She presented results including a long-term evaluation of the service, with a total of 94% of patients who received a STTT consultation reporting that they would have made an appointment with a GP or emergency services had the service not been available, and about one in five consultations resulting in antibiotic supply – emphasising the pivotal role that community pharmacists can play in antimicrobial stewardship. Delegates also heard about how DHCW is working with the SAIL databank to look at more data that will help evaluate the service and the patient experience.

“It was inspiring to promote the value of Choose Pharmacy at an international meeting, without which we wouldn’t have been able to have national data on STTT consultations," Dr Efi Mantzourani says. "We are privileged in Wales to have this resource, and I hope to represent DHCW in future meetings to present all the advancements of the system.”

New Executive Director of Operations announced

Digital Health and Care Wales is delighted to announce the appointment of Sam Lloyd into the position of Executive Director of Operations.

This role will be responsible for implementing and delivering an ambitious and transformative digital strategy for DHCW.

Sam joins the team following 19 years of experience in technology leadership roles across the health sector, including as Head of Technology for Public Health England, becoming Head of Workplace, Hosting and Service Management at the formation of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) in Oct 2021. The UKHSA is responsible for protecting every member of every community from the impact of infectious diseases, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents and other health threats.

During his time at UKHSA and previous roles at Public Health England and the Health Protection Agency, Sam has been responsible for establishing world class technology capability and using digital, technology and data to improve public health outcomes.

When asked about his new role, Sam said “DHCW is an exciting organisation with a vital mission. The pandemic has thrown into clear focus the critical role that digital and technology plays in helping organisations to innovate, accelerate progress and reach customers in new ways, I believe that DHCW is rising to this challenge, I am very much looking forward to joining and playing a part in the ongoing transformation of Health and Care delivery in Wales."

We all look forward to welcoming Sam to the DHCW family in January.