Health service IT organisation gets behind Royal College of Nurses’ effort to raise digital skills in the sector
NHS Digital has declared its support for the Royal College of Nursing’s (RCN) ‘Every nurse is an e-nurse’ campaign with the launch of its first e-nursing week.
The organisation said it is going to focus on the use of digital technology over the coming few days, with promotional efforts on elements such as the use of tech at bedsides, data sharing, digital security and the role of apps and wearables.
The RCN congress passed a motion last year that by 2020 every nurse in the UK should have the appropriate digital skills. More recently, it published a joint report with Health Education England, Improving Digital Literacy, that identified six areas of focus: digital identity, wellbeing, safety and security; communication, collaboration and participation; teaching, learning and professional development; technical proficiency; information, data and media literacies; and creation, innovation and scholarship.
Framework commitment
NHS Digital said these align with the Leading Change, Adding Value framework for nursing, midwifery and care staff that it published last year. This included a commitment to champion the use of technology and informatics to improve care.
Anne Cooper (pictured), chief nurse at NHS Digital, said: “The RCN is absolutely right to be placing such a priority on ensuring nurses across the NHS have the tools, skills and resources they need to make the best use of technology and act as effective e-nurses.
“We are pleased to endorse that campaign, and commit to working alongside them and other partners to play our role in delivering their ambition of making every nurse an e-nurse by 2020.
“NHS Digital’s products and services are helping to transform many of the facets of nursing, midwifery and care across the country.”
Image from NHS Digital
