We want to invest in our future leaders in digital healthcare.
This fellowship will allow GPs to spend time working in local general practice whilst having funded time to upskill and undertake a project in this area. Fellows will be able to access connections to experts in policy, research and industry to support their learning and will have funding available to support professional development. Fellows will spend time understanding our local IT networks, challenges and solutions.
In 2020/21, our Visionary Fellows (Leaders in Digital Systems) led on and supported various projects including:
- Primary/secondary care interface working, through the delivery of a “Virtual Doctors Mess”
- Development of electronic requesting for radiology
- Development of a website solution, providing online education, communication, referral pathways and criteria, plus clinical support for primary care staff
Current Visionary Fellows (Leaders in Digital Systems) – Cohort 2: 2021/22
Digital health remains a new area of healthcare which is rapidly expanding into all aspects of the NHS.
As one of the Coventry and Warwickshire Digital Fellows have been involved in the remote patient monitoring service roll out across PCNs within the ICS using the Docobo programme in care homes and for home respiratory monitoring.
Utilising resources from within the pathway I have been engaging with placed based teams, PCNs and the digital strategy lead to look at the data that has come out of the recent pilot projects and am currently working on journal and poster submissions of the data produced from this programme and the impact it has had on the target population groups.
Current focus is looking at how digital care has reduced GP workload and the qualitative patient feedback.
By understanding the impact from this new rollout we are hopeful that it will provide the basis for further digital programmes in remote patient monitoring to be started via place-based teams.
Ashia Ahmad-Pasha
Visionary Fellow
Croft Medical Centre, Leamington Spa
I am currently engaged in two broad projects.
I was able to join the role out of the Docobo remote monitoring project in South Warwickshire which has provided digital remote monitoring within care homes supported by the integrated care team. I am now helping facilitate the role out within Rugby. This is allowing me to see the project through from initiation to its established, ongoing success utilising knowledge from the South Warwickshire role out.
In addition, I am working with the other digital fellow preparing the data from Warwickshire North for journal publication, to highlight the project and demonstrate the benefits and applications of digital monitoring.
I have also been leading a project to develop immersive digital learning environments for occupational therapists to enhance their understanding of their role within primary care. Collaborating with Coventry University and NHSX the aim is to increase the direct recruitment of occupational therapy students at graduation into general practice.
Nick Tyrell
Visionary Fellow
Hastings House, Wellsbourne
Previous Visionary Fellows (Leaders in Digital Systems) – Cohort 1: 2020/21
My vision for this fellowship was to look at how digital platforms can aid patient safety and streamline the patient journey, while balancing reducing costs and improving outcomes for the wider system and also assist with colleagues’ work load and support their resilience.
On a personal level, I gained confidence in communicating and attained a better understanding of the system I work in. My people skills were enhanced and also my ability to write formal proposal papers.
Overall I was inspired and I would highly recommend this fellowship to all my colleagues.
Sonal Patel
Visionary Fellow
Brinklow Surgery, Rugby
The fellowship programme that I have undertaken has been great for many reasons in my first year post CCT.
It has allowed me to increase my knowledge and understanding of how healthcare is delivered locally. This knowledge, when utilised, can benefit patients by knowing the best ways to deliver care for them and shape future healthcare delivery for the better.
Another benefit is that it has enabled my working week to feel less one-dimensional, variety is the spice of life after all. In the past year I have heard time and time again from senior colleagues that this opportunity I have had is something they would have loved to have had previously.
I believe these fellowships are fantastic and unique opportunities to upskill those in the early stages of their chosen field with demonstrable benefits to the local healthcare network now and for the foreseeable future.
George Smith
Visionary Fellow
Bridgehouse Medical Centre, Stratford-upon-Avon