Patients, Nurses – and technology

Anne Cooper, Clinical Informatics Advisor (Nursing)

Organisation / date

NHS England | Presentation to ISCG Event 21 Jan 20132

Background• ‘Warp speed’ emergence of various technologies

that support new ways of working;

• The need to use technology to deliver modern nursing care;

• Challenge of old practices and cultures;

• Need for new skills and competencies;

• Making sure we do and choose the ‘right’ things; and

• Balancing the human element with technology.

NHS England | Presentation to ISCG Engagement event 21 Jan 20143

The Nursing Technology Fund• Announced by Prime Minister in October 2012

• Supports adoption of technology for nurses specifically

• Year 1 - £30m

• Year 2 - £70m

• Year 1 process closed 15 Jan 2014

• Technology focussed on mobile working, near patient monitoring and digital pens

• Year 2 – process and approach to be decided

Community Nursing and Technology• Numbers of community nurses in decline

The number of qualified district nurses in the workforce has fallen by over 40% in last decade

Health and Social Care Information Centre figures from 30 September 2012

• Increasing frailty of patients at home and need to move more care to community settings

• Rising expectations of care that can be delivered at home

• ‘Smart New World’ published by Queens Nursing Institute 2012

NHS England | Presentation to ISCG 21 Jan 20144

“We see a future where more people are treated at home, rather than in hospital, technology is exploited to the full, and the relationship between nurse and patient is central to quality healthcare” Queens Nursing Institute 2014

NHS England| Presentation to ISCG event 21 Jan5

Questions

• How can technology help the delivery of nursing care for people in communities from a patient and carer perspective?

• How can we work better with patients and carers before we adopt new ways of working with technology?

• What already exists in communities that could support better use of technology for nurses to deliver care?