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“Making the prescribing, dispensing and administration of medicines everywhere in Wales, easier, safer, more efficient and effective, for patients and professionals,
through digital.”
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WELCOME TO THE LATEST EDITION OF THE DIGITAL MEDICINES TRANSFORMATION PORTFOLIO NEWSLETTER
September 2023
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Here you’ll find the latest news about the programmes and projects within DMTP. In this edition you’ll hear from Lesley Jones, who is leading the biggest change to hospital e-prescribing and medicines administration (ePMA) in decades, and find out more about the exciting news that the first test of the electronic prescription service will be starting soon!
You can view all previous DMTP newsletters here and you can also subscribe to receive it directly into your inbox. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy this edition.
HAPPY READING!
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Lesley is the Senior Responsible Officer for the Secondary Care e-Prescribing and Medicines Administration Programme (ePMA) which will deliver new digital prescribing systems in every ward in every hospital in NHS Wales.
Q: What inspired you to be part of DMTP and the ePMA programme?
I just had to be involved with the programme as it will make such a dramatic difference to our patients. One of the reasons I applied to be SRO was the thought that a nurse might help. I felt it was important to connect with the clinical nurses who need to be part of this innovation within Wales.
My interest in all things innovative and then digital began when I started my career in nursing within the clinical oncology setting, where we saw new infusion pumps and central line usage allowing patients to go home. At the-then Cwm Taf University Health Board, I was Clinical Lead for Education and recently, I was offered a secondment to NHS England Improvement, which involved investigating the progress of NHS England’s digital journey. I was lucky enough to visit their global digital exemplar sites, and also saw the start of large-scale Electronic Patient Records (EPR) rollouts and the blueprinting of good practice that had just started. Following the height of Covid, I went to work in Hywel Dda UHB as Head of Nursing. Digital was incorporated into my role, which encompassed all of my interests.
Q: What do you feel are the biggest benefits ePMA will deliver?
Having an ePMA in Wales will make medication information overt and allow us to learn about our prescribing and administration practices in real time, at a glance. It will also make things safer for patients and more efficient for our staff.
Some of our staff have worked in organisations in England. They then come to work in Wales, where we are ‘on paper’, and they are keen to move forward digitally, as the transparency of this information is essential for effective patient care.
In terms of procurement, there are three suppliers on a framework that organisations need to evaluate before deciding which system would work best for them.
In Wales, as in other parts of the UK, we have some workforce challenges, such as pharmacists, medical and nursing colleagues. With vacancies in these workforce groups it can be challenging to manage implementation of software clinically.
ePMA is such a culture change that we will also need Business Change staff to help us walk alongside our staff and ensure they quickly gain confidence in the new system.
Q: How will the supplier framework operate in practice and what are the advantages?
The framework offers choice. Through a framework, organisations can involve their clinical staff and establish teams with clinical informatics skills and IT all in one team, within local organisations.
While some organisations may have never purchased from a framework, this process will make it easier for them to look at this option for future procurements as they move towards the digital realisation of their strategies.
Q: How is the programme engaging with the stakeholders who will be using the new ePMA systems?
We have had a number of events so far. Local teams made up of IT and clinicians with informatics skills were invited to see demos from suppliers, and then at a separate event they had the opportunity to learn from Swansea Bay UHB’s experience of rolling out an ePMA system. Swansea Bay has been an ePMA pathfinder for some time and shared their experiences with all.
We have also established a number of groups to ensure that as many staff as possible are aware of the process and are learning about the things they need to consider. We have made visits to sites in England and Scotland to learn from their experiences and they have been so helpful in sharing everything freely. This is undoubtedly a team approach to ensure that we learn quickly and involve staff appropriately.
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Site visits inform ePrescribing and Medicines Administration in Wales
As our Q&A with Lesley highlights, digital ways of working will soon be replacing the largely paper-based processes. As a result, fact-finding site visits to UK hospitals where an ePMA is in use are proving invaluable.
Two groups, consisting of representatives from health boards and the Digital Medicines Transformation Portfolio (DMTP) team, have visited hospitals in Glasgow, Leicester and the Wye Valley.
Rhian Hamer, DMTP Transformation Director, said: “The site visits are hugely beneficial. They help us to gather knowledge and lessons learned from implementation, particularly how the system is used by clinicians, nurses, and pharmacists. Site visits are about understanding user experience and the real-world activities hospitals need to undertake before and during implementation. They are not about seeing how the IT works.”
Adoption of ePMA in Wales will be based on local procurements with one national aim, so finding out how other hospitals have managed their implementations offers additional insight.
Common themes to emerge from all three visits were the need for clinical leadership to engage and communicate so all staff are aware of the changes, and staff training before go-live.
Introduction of ePMA has been welcomed by staff at all three trusts, with notable improvements in efficiency and patient safety.
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Key milestone reached in Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) in Wales
An exciting milestone has been reached in the plan to change the way prescriptions are issued in primary care in Wales. Live testing of a new Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) is about to begin in Rhyl, which will see prescriptions sent electronically from a GP surgery to the pharmacy without the need for a paper prescription form.
The move away from a paper-based process to a digital service will benefit patients, GP surgeries and pharmacies. It will also help the environment, as it will reduce the number of paper prescriptions printed each year. Read more about the first phase of EPS testing in Wales on our website.
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Community Pharmacy System Innovation Fund awards three more grants | |
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The Community Pharmacy System Innovation Fund (CPSIF), set up to support the delivery of an EPS in Wales, has made three further grant awards to digital community pharmacy system suppliers, bringing the total number of companies that have benefitted to five.
Egton Medical Information Services (EMIS), Camascope and Clanwilliam are the latest suppliers who have been awarded grants and can now begin to develop their systems. They join PharmacyX and TITAN PMR who were awarded grants in the first round of funding.
The grants will help suppliers to develop their systems to use an electronic prescription service and receive prescriptions digitally instead of on paper. Find out more about the grant awards here.
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Date for the diary: Shared Medicines Record TenTalk
We will be delivering a talk to our colleagues across DHCW about the implementation of FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) on October 3.
The TenTalk, which will be done with the National Data Resource team, will focus on how we will use FHIR standards to define how healthcare information can be exchanged between different computer systems and be available to those who have a need to access it for the benefit of a patient receiving care. In particular, this talk will look at how it will help us to share medicines and allergies information electronically across systems in NHS Wales.
Further talks are being planned for organisations across Wales. Read more in the Wales FHIR Implementation Guide.
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Patient Access (NHS Wales App) latest
Public testing of the NHS Wales App is continuing, with around 30 GP practices involved across Wales.
You can register your interest in the NHS Wales App and receive further updates here.
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DMTP director shortlisted for UK award
We are delighted that DMTP Director Rhian Hamer has been shortlisted in the UK IT Industry Awards, which recognise people who are creating a better world through IT.
Rhian is one of just four finalists named in the Inspirational Individual of the Year category. The awards will be announced in November, following a judging week in September. Good luck, Rhian!
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Animated video showcases DMTP
Have you watched our animated video, which explains to patients, the public and NHS staff about the exciting innovation taking place at DMTP?
The three-minute animation showcases the four inter-connected elements of the Portfolio and will raise awareness of the health and care benefits that digital medicines will bring.
Find out more by watching the DMTP animated video below!
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Hamish Laing to join expert panel at HETT Show
DMTP will be at the UK’s leading digital healthcare conference, Healthcare Excellence Through Technology (HETT), which takes place at Excel London from September 26-27. Attracting around 4,000 delegates, including digital leaders, IT specialists, clinicians, pharmacists and industry, this year’s focus is Enabling Meaningful Collaboration Across Digital Health and Care.
With technology innovation at the heart of healthcare transformation in Wales, DMTP Senior Responsible Officer Professor Hamish Laing will speak on progress towards digital prescribing in all care settings for patients and healthcare professionals.
You can read more about DMTP at HETT in our article.
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RECRUITMENT NEWS - WELCOME AND THANK YOU! | |
We have been delighted to welcome a number of new colleagues to DMTP in recent months. Here are some of our new starters: | |
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Danielle Rees,
Project Support Manager, EPS
Joined DMTP: April 2023
I spent two and a half years at Swansea Bay University Health Board, working my way through an apprenticeship and then working in a number of project related roles before moving to DMTP and joining the Primary Care EPS team.
The best thing about my job is knowing that the work I am carrying out will contribute to change for the better for patients across Wales.
Outside of work I love going to the gym, walking, cooking and reading.
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Lydia James,
Senior Business Change Facilitator
Joined DMTP: July 2023
My previous role in DHCW was as the Welsh Information Assurance Group (WIAG) Facilitator. Prior to this, I worked for Swansea Bay UHB in Cancer Services and Cardiff and Vale UHB in the Genomics Service.
The best thing about my job is being able to support such an important and transformative programme for Wales.
Outside of work, I love Pilates and running, and I recently took part in the Swansea Half Marathon to raise money for Cancer Research Wales.
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Stephanie Allen,
Senior Business Change Facilitator
Joined DMTP: May 2023
I have worked within the NHS for more than 10 years, mostly as a Senior Physiotherapist in a multitude of different clinical areas, varying from paediatrics to intensive care. Before joining DHCW, I was part of the implementation team at Swansea Bay UHB for the Secondary Care ePMA project for just over a year.
The best thing about my job is being part of huge national change and seeing the very real benefits to patients and NHS staff.
Outside of work I love travelling, gardening, exercising and spending time with my fiancé and our rescue cat Louis. I’m slightly obsessed with home renovations and have a very active social life.
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Rebecca Lees,
Senior Communications Officer
Joined DMTP: June 2023
After working as a journalist for the South Wales Echo, BBC Wales and ITV, I moved into PR and communications, specialising in health. I’ve written three walking trails books and once enjoyed my 15 minutes (literally!) of fame on Weatherman Walking with Derek Brockway.
The best thing about my job is being in a values-driven role and making a small but valuable contribution to patient and staff health and wellness.
Outside of work, I love hiking, running and trail running. I’m a volunteer ambassador for Ordnance Survey and I also volunteer at the best parkrun in the world – Pontypridd – when I’m not running it!
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Thanks and good luck!
Recently we also waved goodbye to Chloe Dobbin, who was our Shared Medicines Record and Patient Access Principal Project Manager. We wish her well in her new role as Business Change Manager in DHCW.
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DMTP EVENTS AND ENGAGEMENT | |
Sharing benefits management expertise | |
David Powell, Head of Portfolio Management Office at DMTP, gave a masterclass in benefits management to colleagues from Digital Services for Patients and Public (DSPP) and National Data Resource (NDR) in August. In his presentation on Benefits Management Strategy and Framework, David shared the principles of benefits management and the benefits management cycle.
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Hospital pharmacy visit for DMTP leaders | |
DMTP Director Rhian Hamer and Programme Lead Laurence James met with Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board’s ePMA team during a visit to Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil last month.
Rhian said: ‘This visit offered an opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge of how the pharmacy at Prince Charles Hospital works and to discuss the benefits that can be achieved through ePMA. This exciting collaboration with the ePMA team puts clinicians and patients at the heart of the service, and we look forward to continuing to work together.’
Photo, l-r: Patrick Singh, Senior pharmacist, HePMA and Informatics; Rhian Hamer, DMTP Director; Sarah Griffiths, Deputy Head of Pharmacy, Clinical Services, Prince Charles Hospital; Rachel Owen, Chief Pharmacy Technician, Prince Charles Hospital; Laurence James, DMTP Programme Lead; Andrew Davies, Lead Nurse Advisor, Medicines Management and Medication Safety.
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DMTP co-ordinates four connected areas of work:
- the delivery of an Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) in primary care,
- the implementation of an electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration (ePMA) on every ward in every hospital in Wales
- the development of a Shared Medicines Record and
- medicines functionality in the NHS Wales App
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If you would like to know more about our work or have a suggestion about how we can engage with you, we’d love to hear from you!
Email: [email protected], visit our web pages or follow DHCW on our social media channels:
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