A quarterly strategy update from Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust has shared progress on delivering digital care, highlighting progress around EPR, developing digital skills, upgrading infrastructure and connectivity, as well noting a large agenda of projects involving digital which are “not resourced, funded or prioritised”.
Associate director of strategy Tony Mears, points to the trust’s current “low digital maturity” and “lack of joined-up systems and electronic processes”, adding: “The key causes of these challenges are our [legacy] EPR, staff digital literacy, the maturing but not yet mature PowerBI capability, and the digital maturity in health organisations compared to society writ large. The principal countermeasure, and the source of significant organisational focus to tackle this, is our shared EPR programme with BSW Hospital Group partners and Oracle Cerner.”
Progress from the last quarter, centres around the trust’s shared EPR programme, “with focus on pathway alignment and optimisation across the Group”. It also notes the further development of a digital skills framework to help assess training needs “in line with the national programme”, and a connectivity upgrade pilot programme “with Longford ward, the upgrading of pathology systems, and full Imber connectivity” now complete. According to the update, work has continued across the system to develop a clear roadmap and improvement programme for the use of population health analytics.
The risks associated with non-delivery of programmes within the trust’s digital plan are also contained within the Board Assurance Framework under the strategic priority area of “people, population, partnership”. Whilst the digital plan sets out an agenda around improving integration, optimising EPR, expanding use of data, and developing infrastructure; “there is insufficient capacity and funding to deliver all that is asked with our appropriate prioritisation”, the update states. As well as potentially leading to a “slower response” to clinical or operational risks, it places the risk score at “12”, recognising “trust financial position increases risk associated with sufficient funding to deliver wider elements of the digital plan”.
The framework also shares current challenges and future risks, including a “large agenda of projects” involving digital which are “not resourced, funded or prioritised”; a lack of progress on some digital programmes; the lack of funding for the delivery of the full digital plan “including removing all unsupported technologies”; limited clinical engagement “due to operational pressures”; the recruitment and retention of coding and business intelligence skills; and the vacancy for a clinical safety officer.
In terms of managing these challenges, the framework states that work is underway on prioritising programmes and seeking opportunities for national funding, whilst a plan is being implemented to build resilience with GWH, external coding support has been agreed “with wider business case developed”, and mention of a digital services review.
Other updates offered by the board include that the trust has made progress in its cyber security and cyber resilience, having held “a range of live events” over the last 12 months to “test in real time their preparedness for resilience”. On the Integrated Care Record, following the soft launch of Digital ReSPECT plans in November 2024, the trust notes that all plans are now to be created digitally. To read the board papers in full, please click here.
Delivering digital care: insights from across the NHS
In a recent HTN Now panel discussion on advancing patient engagement with communication tech and patient portals, we were joined by experts including Jothi Vasan-O’Leary, medical information officer and outpatient clinical lead (GIRFT) at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton; Daniel Parkinson, digital IT project manager at Leeds Teaching Hospitals; Sally Mole, senior digital programme manager – digital portfolio delivery team at The Dudley Group; and Emma Stratful, chief operating officer at OX.DH. Our panellists, discussed adoption, engagement, the use of AI and automation technologies, functionality and the future role of patient portals and communication tech in tackling NHS challenges.
In a HTN poll, we asked our LinkedIn followers what they thought should be the biggest priority for digital primary care: patient-facing digital tools, interoperability, funding to support innovation, or back office efficiencies? With 39 percent of the vote, patient-facing digital tools came out on top. Coming in a close second was interoperability with 38 percent of the vote, with interest from GPs, practice managers and pharmacists.
The Department Health and Social Care recently opened a market engagement, seeking input from care technology suppliers, innovators, and start-ups to support the development and implementation of new national standards for care technology. The call for input follows the government’s announcement of new reforms around adult social care in January.
