August 2013

NEWSLETTER

New Partnership to Drive up Levels of Professional Accreditation in Health Informatics

A new partnership between UKCHIP, the profession‟s voluntary regulatory body, NHS England and the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) is set to drive up standards and professionalism amongst health informatics professionals by encouraging registration.

Beverley Bryant, Director of Strategic Systems and Technology at NHS England said:

“The importance of informatics to the delivery of safe, high quality and effective services has never been more important. Professionalism in informatics and all that goes with it is at the heart of our vision for safe, technology enabled, and patient centred care. Both the Francis Report and more recently the Keogh Review identified a range of informatics and leadership related issues that indicate a need for stronger leadership and more and better data and information management specialists.

Working with our partners, we will support the development of UKCHIP to reflect the needs and expectations of the new NHS and NHS employers. We have to be able to show we are professionals in the same way that other groups in health and care do. And employers need to expect their informatics staff to be accredited or work towards accreditation with an appropriate body. A number of organisations offer appropriate registration opportunities but, UKCHIP is the only registration body for informatics in health, which is why we want to support its development. There are other organisations that have a role here as well, for example in providing continued professional development. The important thing is to be registered with an appropriate body. There should be an element of choice.”

Mark Davies, Director of Clinical and Public Assurance at the HSCIC, said:

“As the largest employer of health informatics specialists in the NHS in England, this partnership agreement is extremely important to us. We feel it is our duty to lead the development of the health informatics profession, to support our staff and informatics specialists across the NHS. High quality data, information and systems are essential to drive better care, better services and better outcomes for patients. All these can only be achieved if we develop, assure and value, skilled health informatics professionals.”

UKCHIP President, Dr Glyn Hayes said of the partnership:

“Professional registration of information and IT specialists is at the heart of creating a safe environment for patients and tackling quality and value for money issues. UKCHIP was launched 10 years ago now and the world of informatics has moved on significantly. The time is right to review our professional standards and our brand and we are delighted to be able to announce this partnership which will allow us to refresh our approach to supporting building a valued profession.”

Work is starting on a plan to refresh UKCHIP as part of a wider NHS England approach to driving up informatics leadership and capability development and more information will be available in the autumn. It is expected that EHI Live Conference in November (5 – 6) will provide a platform for news and updates on plans and activity.

Page

New free elearning apps for eICE 6

SW CSU gets EQAS accredited training 6

Events and conferences 7

Inside this issue Page

UKCHIP news and developments 2

Welsh IT apprentices get UKCHIP-ed 4

Case Study: Avoca Systems Ltd 5

Page 2 UKCHIP NEWSLETTER

UKCHIP News and Developments

We often expect late July and August to be a short period of calm as so many families try and get away for a holiday, but that doesn‟t seem to be the case for UKCHIP this year! Recently, our President, Dr Glyn Hayes, wrote to the Minister responsible for Health and Social Care in each of the four home countries, linked partly to the publicity and debate about standards and professionalism raised by the various reports about the Mid Staffordshire hospital enquiry. He made the case for their explicit support for our mission to encourage regulation and registration for HI professionals. The response has been excellent and is summarised below:-

Northern Ireland – at the request of the Minister, on 31st July we met with Chief Scientific Officer Prof Bernie Hannigan and received a positive response, especially to our work with the Academy for Healthcare Science to recognise HI as a healthcare science. This followed our encouraging discussions with the CScO for England, Prof Sue Hill which started last year. We await a decision about how to endorse or encourage registration in Northern Ireland.

Wales – we met the Welsh Minister on 6th August, with the retiring Welsh CIO Dr Gwyn Thomas, and again received a warm response. Gwyn will work with the Minister on a statement and offered some great ideas that will enhance our action plan for reinvigorating UKCHIP.

Scotland – our letter to the Scottish Minister went a little later than the others but has been acknowledged and diaries are being consulted, so we expect to be offered a meeting shortly.

England –As you will have seen from the front page we are already pushing ahead in partnership with NHS England and the Health & Social Care Information Centre. We are preparing an action plan that aims to drive up levels of professional registration in the health and care professions as part of a wider approach to improving informatics leadership and capability development.

The absolutely key aim in all this activity is to raise the profile of patient safety needs as part of a professional approach to all branches of health informatics, a need highlighted in this week‟s publication of Don Berwick‟s review of the Francis Report. Our plans include an updating of the registration standards, of the code of conduct and the process for registration together with improvements to the website, marketing and communications, resulting in a radical new approach. As agreed by Council at their July meeting, we will also be reviewing how Council is constituted to make it a more representative and responsive body.

Mik Horswell, UKCHIP Board Chair

UKCHIP Council

The last Council meeting was held on 17th July and included a presentation from Dr Nick Booth, Clinical Director, Information Standards Delivery, The Health and Social Care Information Centre titled: “Developing clinical records standards: the roles of HSCIC, PRSB and AoMRC.”

Following that Kathy Mason and Di Millen of NHS England, presented a proposal on behalf of NHS England and HSCIC for partnership working with UKCHIP. This was agreed after a short discussion and Council thanked NHS England for backing professionalism so whole-heartedly. The first result was the joint statement on our front page.

The next Council meeting will be on 16th October when we hope to be able to put forward more detailed proposals on the refresh of UKCHIP, and report on actions already taken.

Page 3 AUGUST 2013

Safer Hospitals, Safer Wards

NHS England guidance recommends UKCHIP Registration On 17 May 2013, the Secretary of State for Health and Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, Medical Director of NHS England, launched a £260 million Technology Fund which became operational on 1 July: NHS providers were invited to submit Expressions of Interest by the end of July. The Fund is available to NHS Trusts, including Foundation Trusts, to support the rapid progression from paper-based systems for patient notes and prescriptions to integrated digital care records (IDCRs) and the development of ePrescribing and eReferral systems. Further information and full guidance on the application process are included in Safer Hospitals, Safer Wards: Achieving an integrated digital care record. We are pleased that Section 8 (Leadership, Change Management and Technology Skills) recommends that employers will want to assure themselves that staff (whether employed in-house or contracted in) are of the highest quality, fit to practise and up to date, and that registration and/or accreditation by a recognised professional body (such as UKCHIP) is one way individuals can demonstrate adherence to nationally agreed standards of practise. Organisations are encouraged to use this as an indicator of quality in their employees and contractors.

Greetings from Pyongyang

Professor

Ian Wells, a

UKCHIP

Council

member, has

recently

returned

from two

months

lecturing at

Pyongyang

University of

Science and

Technology

(PUST) and

has been

sending us

regular

postcards.

See more on the back cover.

Page 4 AUGUST 2013

IT Professional Apprentices in NHS Wales sign up for

UKCHIP affiliate registration

“I thought this [IT Professional apprenticeship] was a good career prospect. I have family who work in the NHS and a family member has needed treatment recently, I also used to do caring as a job, so I thought I would like to work in a role that will benefit healthcare in Wales”.

Geraint Richardson (left) is now 6 months into his apprenticeship in health informatics, working on the NWIS (NHS Wales Informatics Service) Service Desk supporting Velindre NHS Trust IT and also undertaking a level 2 BTEC in ICT Systems and Principles. He is one of seven apprentices on a new 18 month scheme developed for the NHS in Wales. His fellow apprentices are employed in a variety of health settings across Wales, including the Welsh Ambulance Service in North Wales and University of Wales Hospital, Cardiff. Most of the apprentices are working in service desk posts; taking calls, supporting all types of health staff, going

out to wards and departments to install equipment or deal with problems. They gain a good grounding in ICT but are also immersed in the health environment and can appreciate how ICT supports health and care.

Sophie Rogers, (right) who is working for Aneurin Bevan Health Board, wanted to join the scheme because, “ I did an A level in IT and this was a good option to further my studies and give me a potential career at the end, as I didn‟t want to go to university”.

Following the development of the Health Informatics Career Framework (HICF), NWIS undertook a workforce survey of health informatics staff across Wales in 2010 and identified a number of gaps in entry routes into informatics. One of those gaps was at entry level and so an apprenticeship career pathway was developed. An apprenticeship is a fantastic opportunity to obtain qualifications during on the job training and we are pleased to see that attitudes are changing to support this. It is now being recognised that academic qualifications alone are not the only route into informatics.

One important aspect of the apprenticeships is in encouraging the apprentices to see HI as a professional career. The apprentices are encouraged to use the Health Informatics Career Framework (HICF) as it is an excellent tool for finding information on the type of job roles available in health informatics e.g. clinical coders, business analysts and software developers, to name a few. HICF can be used to determine which qualifications are necessary for each job role and which functions each role performs.

As an introduction to professionalism the apprentices have all signed up for UKCHIP affiliate registration. Before joining the scheme they may have had no idea about working to a code of conduct or carrying out CPD, but to join the affiliate register they need to understand and agree to working in a professional manner. Their affiliate registration will last for three years and, if they continue with their career in health informatics, they will then be able to apply for full registration. Hopefully this will start them thinking about what it means to be a professional right at the beginning of their career and they will continue to carry it with them throughout their work in HI.

For more information see:

NHS Wales Informatics Service website UKCHIP Affiliate Registration

Page 5 UKCHIP NEWSLETTER

Avoca Systems - Staff Development and UKCHIP

Registration

Avoca Systems are a small business specialising in healthcare data management. The company was founded in 1995; they are currently based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, with 15 staff. Avoca started out as a software house, composed mainly of software developers, with a small support team. The National Programme for IT prompted a shift to selling data migration services for NPfIT system deployments. Avoca worked with all three LSPs, as well as directly with Trusts and PCTs. This niche suited the company‟s strengths: a detailed understanding of the complexity of NHS data, an emphasis on quality, and innovative in-house software tools to manage change during projects.

The key to Avoca‟s success in this period was the large-scale recruitment of recent graduates, and extensive in-house training to equip them as healthcare data analysts. Avoca‟s software development team remained small and constant, but the „data team‟ grew rapidly, swelling the company to nearly 50-strong. Training was delivered initially by senior management. As the team grew, those who had completed the scheme took on responsibility for managing and delivering it for subsequent recruits. This was not only a cost-effective use of resource, but provided those longer-serving members with a wide range of additional opportunities for personal and professional development.

With the demise of NPfIT, the company has reduced in size and returned to the software market, offering PAS configuration management tools internationally. Developers once again are the operational focus; Avoca also have two experienced employees based in the Middle East to manage their clients in the region. Analysts are being internally re-trained to fulfil software management roles such as quality assurance, solution design and writing specifications.

These strategic shifts would not have been possible without the small organisation size and adaptable workforce. Investments in time spent training colleagues internally are always considered before external training, making use of the varied skill base of the workforce.

Avoca do respond when a staff member identifies a development need that cannot be met internally. Graduate trainees all attend external „soft skills‟ courses; a few staff have also been supported through a professional coaching qualification, which further improved the company‟s ability to develop staff internally.

Alongside the internal personal development and performance appraisal system, Avoca offer to pay the UKCHIP registration fees for anybody with more than two years‟ service. There has been an enthusiastic take-up of this offer: staff enjoy being able to set their own development objectives alongside those set by line managers, and it gives a greater sense of direction and progress to their careers. The “areas for improvement” that the UKCHIP questionnaire highlights are a useful form of feedback. The business benefits from having independent confirmation of the workforce‟s abilities: UKCHIP registration shows commitment to professional standards, and is a benchmark for potential clients. For more information see www.avoca.co.uk

Winning the Business Skills and Staff Development Award (2009 Derbyshire Business Awards)

Some of Avoca‟s staff

Page 6 AUGUST 2013

UKCHIP EQAS accredited eICE programme launches free

e-learning apps

The Embedding Informatics in Clinical Education (eICE) programme has published an app version of their e-learning course developed as an introduction to informatics in clinical practice. The app enables anyone to use the e-learning on their phone or tablet, wherever they are, and then send their progress back to their learning account, when they are back online.

The eICE programme aims to promote the teaching of informatics to all clinicians and clinical students and the online course is relevant to anyone working in a clinical setting who wants to learn more about the impact of informatics on clinical practice. It includes modules on: Information Governance, Information Sharing, Clinical Record Keeping, Clinical Coding and Terminology, Clinical Information Systems, eHealth, and Patient Safety.

Both android and iphone/ipad versions of the app are available for free and can be downloaded directly from the Google Play Store or iTunes, (search for „eICE‟), although users should register an account on the eICE website first to make the most out of the apps.

eICE is run by the Clinical and Public Assurance Directorate of the Health and Social Care Information Centre, and is part of a portfolio of work designed to build the „people‟ side of informatics, from professionalism and development of informatics specialists, to supporting clinicians, healthcare staff and patients to get ready for paperless working and patient access to records.

For more information see the eICE website.

South West Commissioning Support Unit Responds to the Caldicott Review with UKCHIP EQAS Accredited Informatics

Training

The South West Commissioning Support Unit (SWCSU) offers informatics awards from the CIS UCQ™ to respond to the need for better information sharing and is the latest NHS provider fran-chise to use CIS UCQ™ to support delivery of quality assured training delivery on Information Governance.

SWCSU have entered a new Franchise with ADR consultancy for the South West to deliver Infor-mation Governance (Core) from the CIS UCQ™ informatics vocational awards. By working in partnership with ADR Consultancy, SWCSU has achieved the rigorous standard to attain CIS UCQ™ status. They achieved this through mapping local standards to CIS and coupling this with role based competency assessment. SWCSU can then use the new web based CIS etools to ac-cess important CIS training resources to deliver their CIS award.

SWCSU plans its first training programme in September when its first tranche of healthcare staff will complete the module on Information Governance.

Adam Tuckett, Head of Information Governance at the SWCSU commented “We are delighted to become a franchise with ADR Consultancy which has ensured we are measured against quality criteria and standards in order to offer the Information Governance Core module from CIS UCQ™. We are now using CIS to help respond to the Caldicott review. By using the CIS blended training solution we will realise the double dividend benefit that is compliance through awareness of the need for better information sharing while offering our students the opportunity to gain rec-ognised awards and academic progression''.

For more information see the SWCSU website, CIS UCQ™ and ADR Consultancy website.

Page 7 UKCHIP NEWSLETTER

Events and Conferences

A 20% discount is available to UKCHIP registrants by quoting ref: hcuk20UKCHIP when booking. (Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Full T&Cs available upon request.)

11 September 2013

Digital Data Capture: Capturing Clinical Data in

a Paperless NHS

Hallam Conference Centre, London

Imagine an NHS where there is no paper casenote. Where will our busy clinicians record their notes? And how? This one day event will look at the many and varied tools to capture clinical data digitally.

Conference details

1 October 2013 Electronic Document Management in

Healthcare: Delivering a Paperless NHS

Manchester Conference Centre, Manchester

Following the NHS Commissioning Board's commitment to a paperless NHS, this one day conference focuses on a practical guide to delivering electronic document management in your organisation.

Conference details

27 November 2013 Delivering a paperless NHS: Electronic Patient

Records

ICO Conference Centre London

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will join Dame Fiona Caldicott as she launches the Caldicott2 Information Governance Review at this conference which focuses on the role of Electronic Patient Records in delivering a paperless NHS. With case studies from those organisations that advancing in delivering a paperless nhs service the conference will provide a practical guide to help enable your organisation to move towards the goal of a paperless NHS.

Conference details

10 December 2013 Electronic Prescribing in Hospitals: Moving

Forward Delivering a Paperless NHS by 2018

London

This conference looks at moving forward with Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration (EPMA) in a hospital setting as part of the paperless NHS. Electronic Prescribing has the potential to support the medicines use process that can be delivered at every stage from prescribing to administration. Electronic Prescribing can provide management of prescriptions and will also give immediate access to medicines information.

Conference details

Southern Institute for Health Informatics 2013 11

th September, University of Portsmouth

email sihi@port.ac.uk. All the latest information can be found at www.port.ac.uk/sihi

The theme raises the challenging question whether we are getting "From 'Big Data' to Collective Wisdom?" Speakers will include: * Professor Jonathan Kay, Chief Clinical Information Officer, NHS England * Dame Julie Moore, Chief Executive, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust * Professor Jonathan Montgomery, Chair, Health Research Authority * Professor John Williams, Director of the Health Informatics Unit, Royal College of Physicians of London * Kathy Farndon, Head of Information Standards, NHS England * Dr Justin Whatling, Chair, BCS Health Executive * Dr David Clifton, College Lecturer in Engineering Science, University of Oxford * Keith Strahan, Programme Manager, Health and Social Care Information Sharing, HSCIC * Dr Chakib Kara-Zaitri, InFact UK Ltd * Dr Jim Briggs, University of Portsmouth All the latest information can be found at www.port.ac.uk/sihi, including a link to the online registration site. The fee has been held at only £95 this year.

UKCHIP NEWSLETTER Page 8

Events and Conferences (cont.)

Paperless working, a zero harm NHS and EHI‟s Big EPR Debate will all be

high on the agenda at this year‟s EHI Live conference and exhibition on November 5-6 at the NEC, Birmingham.

For the first time entry to the EHI conference streams will be entirely free with modest fees charged for some co-located, independently-produced meetings. EHI Live 2013 will bring together popular features from previous shows and new meetings and activities. This year‟s conference focuses on themes that are at the very centre of healthcare reforms in the UK with streams on The Big EPR Debate, health secretary Jeremy Hunt‟s call for a paperless NHS by 2018, and the challenges of Dame Fiona Caldicott‟s second review of information governance and information sharing. Giving delegates the chance to discuss these issues with like-minded people makes EHI Live 2013 an unmissable event. EHI Live 2013 is more than a meeting, more than an exhibition. For anyone involved in the use of information in healthcare it‟s a golden opportunity to update knowledge, get answers to questions, meet the experts and think about the future. Now in its sixth year, EHI Live attracts visitors and delegates from around the UK and beyond who are keen to listen to industry figures and investigate new technologies. EHI Live continues to focus on the frontline use of technology by IT staff and clinicians alike with a newly created app zone, a feature dedicated to use of open source technology, the co-location of the CCIO Leaders Network annual conference, which promotes the importance of clinical leadership in healthcare IT, as well an exhibition that already features more exhibitors than last year. The exhibition floor will host popular features from previous shows, such as „The Pipeline‟, which gives suppliers a chance to show what is coming next in healthcare IT, and the Best Practice Showcase and EHI Awards Theatre, which highlight practical examples of good work going on in NHS trusts. To register please visit www.ehilive.co.uk.

EMIS National User Group 20th Annual Conference 2013 2nd - 4th October 2013, East Midland Conference Centre

The 2013 EMIS National User Group Conference is set to be the biggest yet. Now in its 20th year and building on the success of last year's conference, the EMIS National User Group Conference 2013 will enable both healthcare professionals and EMIS users to learn about current developments and share best practice, whilst providing an excellent opportunity for people to network at a well-established conference within the industry.

See the website for more details.

UKCHIP will be having stands at: NW Informatics Skills Development Network: Connect 2013, Blackpool, 17 / 18 September EHI Live on 5th and 6th November

Come and see us to discuss any aspects of informatics professionalism. For more details of these and other events and conference see the UKCHIP website event page.

Page 9 AUGUST 2013

Now in its third year, the Healthcare Efficiency Through Technology Expo has established itself as the must-attend event for everyone involved in NHS reforms and healthcare efficiency and technology. It is free-to-attend for everyone from the NHS and wider public sector. It is the only event of its kind, dedicated to helping healthcare professionals deliver more efficient and effective services which ultimately enable better patient care and outcomes.

For more details see www.healthcareefficiencythroughtechnologyexpo.co.uk

UK Health Informatics Forum

Bristol, 5th December 2013

Reducing Health Delivery Costs through Implementation of ICTs

The UK Health Informatics Forum is very different to larger exhibitions and conferences, the combination of limiting the numbers to 100 delegates with the unique structure and format of the Forum allows Health Experts real quality one-on-one time with the most influential Government, Public and Private Sector Officials in the Health industry. There are no booths or sales presentations, the focus of the Forum is to put decision makers together who have a common interest, to improve transparency between stakeholders and importantly allow time to explore opportunities to improve service delivery to the citizen.

For an event brochure, please contact Lizzie Morgan - Event Manager, t. +441172 232172 or e. lizzie.morgan@estratevents.com

18 - 19 November 2013 Clinical Trials Methodology Conference Edinburgh International Conference Centre The conference will provide a perfect forum for the exchange of new ideas amongst all individuals with an interest in clinical trials. Themes will include trial recruitment and retention, trial conduct, adaptive trial de-signs, stratified medicine, trial outcomes, and evidence synthesis. For full event and registration details see www.methodologyconference2013.org.uk

UKCHIP is the regulatory body for health informatics professionals, established to promote professionalism in health informatics. We are a non-profit making independent organisation.

We publish an online register of health informatics professionals who meet our clearly defined standards of competence and agree to work to a professional code of conduct.

Registration is open to anyone currently working in health informatics regardless of sector. This includes; the NHS, the private health care sector, commercial suppliers to the NHS, academic institutions, social enterprise organisations or the voluntary sector.

Working to create a credible and valued health informatics profession

Contact us:

Mik Horswell marketing@ukchip.net

Di Bullman registrar@ukchip.net Tel: 0113 397 4384

Helen Davies admin@ukchip.net Tel: 0844 870 7902

Write to us at: P.O. Box 66 Usk NP15 9AJ

Registered in England & Wales, No. 4771281

We have a logo for

registrants to use on their

email signatures or personal

website, and a free lapel

badge.

If you would like a badge

or copy of the logo please

email admin@ukchip.net

Visit our website at

www.ukchip.org

Another postcard from Ian Wells in Pyongyan (see p. 3 inside)