Research leaders at Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are using a digital dashboard to analyse data on research activity, which is helping to “inform and embolden” their strategic thinking and planning.
The digital dashboard was designed to “establish a robust way to capture accurate data which would underpin the development of staff research awareness, collaborations and activity within and beyond the trust”.
Having been in development since 2018 when early scoping sessions began, the dashboard was launched in 2022, providing a live view of ongoing research activities, and allowing the team to provide support for individuals across their research journeys. Linked with the trust’s established reporting system, Power BI, the dashboard has the capacity to generate a range of visual reports, covering stages including early contact, the development and outcomes of funding applications, and other key research activities.
Dr Linda Tinkler, trust lead for nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals research, said: “Although still in its infancy, the dashboard has already proven to be a powerful tool with considerable potential to inform and advance the capacity and capability building research agenda. It enables increased understanding of and ability to report on the often unseen resources and infrastructure required to sustain this agenda.”
In August, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust announced that Shauna McMahon will be joining the trust in January 2024 as their new chief information officer. Shauna is currently the Group CIO and Senior Information Risk Owner at North Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust and Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, having held a number of senior healthcare roles over the last 20 years.
Last month, at HTN Now, we held an online panel discussion focused on using data for proactive care. We welcomed Deborah El-Sayed, director of transformation and chief digital information officer at NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB; Esther Ocrah, director for GE HealthCare Command Centre Europe; and David Hammond, deputy chief strategy officer at Wirral Community Health and Care to discuss the theme.
