Cohort 3

Karen Payne

In my 12 months as a Topol Digital Fellow I will seek to improve the nursing contribution to digital workstreams in Dorset by developing a digital nursing strategy and ensuring nurses become drivers rather than passengers in the digital transformation of care.

Develop a digital nursing strategy

My Topol fellowship problem / project:

Having read our Digital Strategy for Dorset I was shocked to see the words nurse or nursing are only mentioned 6 times and Chief Nursing Information Officer (CNIO) is only mentioned once in 101 pages.

However, nurses are likely to be one of the biggest users of digital technology within healthcare settings. The Topol review mentions nursing much more so I plan use fellowship to improve the nursing contribution to the development, implementation and leadership of our digital workstreams.

I plan use the fellowship to develop a digital nursing strategy that supports our overall digital strategy by working with our provider Chief Nursing Information Officer’s to develop a vision and shape the future of digital nursing across Dorset.

I am going to develop a learning forum for our CNIO’s. Our current CNIO’s in providers have all been given the role as an add on with little preparation so I want to use the forum to develop a common direction and consistent vision which can then provide the basis of the digital nursing strategy. Having previously done similar work with practice nurses I can see the value and benefit to sharing learning, experiences and problems. Following attendance at Rewired I was also inspired to explore if this network could bring to life a vision for a Dorset Nursing care record.

I will also use the fellowship to develop a programme of increasing digital readiness within the nursing workforce. From my previous experience of supporting workshops to increase practice nurses’ digital literacy I can see real value in supporting the nursing workforce to try digital options and give themselves the confidence to move digital working forward. Working with the provider CNIO’s I would agree priority areas to work through that align with our digital strategy.

I trained as nurse at Bournemouth University as one of the first Degree Nursing cohorts. Following qualifying, after a short time working on a medical ward, I secured my dream job as a Staff Nurse in the Emergency Department.  Which I absolutely loved until I took my next dream job as a Health Visitor where I happily stayed, until I undertook the Health Visitor Leadership development programme. During this programme I realised I could have a much bigger influence if I moved into a commissioning role.

I have since worked in various areas of commissioning including Children’s Continuing Healthcare, Primary Care Commissioning and various quality roles. I am now in my next dream job as Head of Nursing and Quality at Dorset CCG, which is soon become Dorset Integrated Care Board.

While I was Primary Care Quality Lead I undertook at pilot project to improve the confidence of General Practice Nurses in using digital technology. During this pilot I had a lightbulb moment when I realized the power of technology to improve patient care. This started my interest with digital nursing. I have recently appointed a Chief Nursing Information Officer for Primary Care into my team to take forward our learning from the initial pilot.

I have always remained a very proud and passionate nurse. I am extremely proud to be part of the 3rd Topol Fellowship cohort and am looking forward to help ensure nurses become the drivers in the next stage of our digital journey in Dorset.

Outside of work I love to read, walk by the sea and all things tech but what really gets me excited is travel. I’m always planning the next adventure (or 3!).