Researchers have been commissioned to examine an ambitious new programme that will support some of England’s most digitally advanced hospitals. The programme is helping other sites learn from the hospitals’ experiences and spread best practice in the NHS.
A team of experts will assess the impact of an initiative that is helping digitally advanced providers to pioneer the integration of digital technologies into patient care. The aim is to help the NHS take full advantage of the benefits associated with health information technology.
NHS England’s Global Digital Exemplar programme was launched in August 2016 to help establish proven pathways of introducing IT innovations that can be rolled out across the NHS more broadly. There are currently 16 Acute Trusts and seven Mental Health Trusts taking part. Each is working on exciting digital projects, including providing doctors with faster access to accurate information, as well as improving patient monitoring at the bedside.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have been commissioned by NHS England to lead the evaluation in collaboration with experts at NHS Arden & Greater East Midlands Commissioning Support Unit (Arden & GEM), UCL (University College London) and Harvard Medical School.
The team will engage with NHS staff, as well as international centres of excellence in healthcare provision, to gather valuable feedback for policy makers and managers
Based on this feedback, the three year research project will make recommendations to support the efforts of leading health providers to achieve international best practice in digital health.
“Supporting exceptional care through digital technology is at the heart of the Global Digital Exemplar programme. This evaluation will make an important contribution to accelerating wider digitisation across the NHS.”
John Parkes, Managing Director at Arden & GEM