Digital and Transformation Leads would provide a central source of leadership and management to aid service transformation for our primary care population. They would play a key role in delivering high quality day-to-day operations in areas such as:
- Strategic planning
- Operations
- Finance and governance
- Digital infrastructure
- Relationship management
- HR and workforce planning
The main activities undertaken as part of this role are:
- To develop and maintain an in-depth understanding of the PCN digital infrastructure and business intelligence tools
- To procure and manage digital tools for the PCN which is aligned to a framework of fundamental principle
- To proactively project manage all digital projects and also evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention
- To ensure all initiatives are supported by a clinical lead and practice management
- To ensure all staff receive training on the digital tools within the PCN
- To ensure the induction of all new members of staff receive training and resources on tools available
- To ensure all initiatives are fully scoped and underpinned by a quality improvement methodology
- To remain up to date with the national and local PCN guidance.
- To create and maintain accurate documentation in relation to finances, standard operating procedures, contracts, contacts and decision-making, which is accessible centrally.
- To work in partnership with the PCN leadership and management team
- To identify and develop relationships with practice staff, private providers, the local primary care team and other key partners to enable good working relationships and promote and share best practice
- To deliver technical information in a non-technical and engaging way to a range of stakeholders
- Significant leadership and management skills
- Project management skills
- Familiarity with data-driven quality improvement processes
- Experience in workforce planning, forecasting and development
- Problem solving and analytical skills
- Evidence of successful implementation of IT solutions that deliver business benefits
- Awareness of basic finance principles, assessment and planning
- Good understanding of the Digital agenda within the NHS and Social Care / Care Sector
- Good understanding of current healthcare policy relating to primary care and integrated care
- Working knowledge of MS Office and good keyboard skills
- Can deliver technical information in a non-technical way to a range of stakeholders
A quality improvement training and support programme is currently being designed specifically for those taking up the Digital and Transformation Lead role. The programme will be focused on developing practical skills for leading improvement and delivering change including building effective relationships for working collaboratively. There will be a support network available alongside the programme which will be live in 2023.
e-Learning for Healthcare
The following resources can be accessed via e-Learning for Healthcare (e-LfH). E-LfH provides free e-learning programmes which can support you in your professional development.
If you do not already have an account, click here to register using your NHS email address. If you already have an account, please use the same link to firstly log in to access the following resources.
- Allied Health Professionals Careers' Resource (AHP): The Allied Health Professionals’ Careers Resource takes eight potential areas for career development, the resource provides a wealth of information to highlight the wide range of available option, all whilst continuing to work clinically if desired. AHP colleagues taking different career journeys from across the 14 disciplines appear on film and share what has helped, what barriers they have overcome, and what they enjoy most about their work.
- NHS Project and Change Academy (CPM): This e-learning of specially designed and selected modules aims to provide all NHS staff with a clear and consistent understanding of the basics of project and change management activities, to enable them to effect successful change.
This list is not exhaustive and the programmes available are regularly updated, so we recommend visiting the e-LfH portal and reviewing the available resources via using the “View full catalogue” function, or the “Search the e-learning" function.
Other Resources
If you currently work in primary care, and have found e-learning resources that were helpful, and were not included on the above lists, please let us know on traininghub.nenc@hee.nhs.uk and we will update this resource so that it can be of use to others.
The Digital and Transformation Lead will not work in a patient facing role, however should be given access to line management support.
Please see below Supervision guidance as supported by the PCI, and provided by NHSEI.
The Digital and Transformation Lead role requires a degree level qualification in any subject, or equivalent experience in academic study, work or research. A project management qualification (such as PRINCE or Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) or significant experience is also a requirement.
Local universities that offer degree level qualifications:
PRINCE Qualification
PRINCE2 is a recognised project management qualification and is a process based project management method which provides a structured approach to deliver a successful project. Some training providers that offer this qualification:
Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) Qualification
Managing Successful Programmes (Foundation): The MSP Foundation course will provide you with the knowledge and skills needed to manage multiple projects and will suit programme roles, such as Programme Managers and Senior Project Managers. Some training providers that offer this qualification are:
Managing Successful Programmes (Practitioner): The Managing Successful Programme course serves as a guide of best practice in programme management. This course builds on the strategic framework learned in MSP Foundation level and shows you how to apply it in a practical way within an organisation. Some training providers that offer this qualification are:
100% of actual salary plus defined on-costs, up to the maximum reimbursable amount of £54,619 over 12 months.
Awaiting guidance and further information.
Professional Bodies Resources
There is a Digital Primary Care workspace on FutureNHS that includes resources on a range of topics including: online consultation toolkit, how to develop a highly usable practice website guidance and good practice guidance on digital primary care topics.
The NHS add live modules to this planner on communications, GP Online and digital inclusion, with other modules currently in development.
These FAQs answer some common questions on the Digital and Transformation Lead role, produced by Staffordshire Training Hub.
Tools for Practice
Chapter 5 relates to the digitally-enabled care that will go mainstream across the NHS.
A space to share insights and experiences for everybody working to improve the NHS and social care system’s use of data and digital technology.
Relevant Research
The following articles written by Tara Humphrey are available to read on the THC Primary Care website:
Jobs
If you are looking for a new position related to this role, we recommend checking both NHS Jobs and HealthjobsUK.
NHS Jobs is the official online recruitment service for the NHS in England and Wales, with over 30,000 jobs posted every month.
Hosted by trac.jobs, HealthJobsUK is among the leading job boards in the health and public sector within the UK.
