E-health and the RCN: towards organisation wide integrated action

1. Purpose

1.1 To inform Council through its Public Policy Committee of progress towards the further integration of the rapidly growing e-health agenda into the plans of all relevant RCN business units.

1.2 To seek support and advice for this work.

2. Background

2.1 E-health covers all aspects of working with information and with information and communications technologies to improve outcomes and enhance people’s experience of healthcare. It includes, for example, clinical decision making, record keeping, telephone consultation and patient and public access to information.

2.2 The NHS in all four countries is investing heavily in information technology (IT) to support the modernisation of health services. Patient and public access to information about health and health services is seen as a major element of the choice agenda. As our recent online survey showed, most nurses are aware of the benefits of e-health but the vast majority feel unprepared and uninvolved in developments that will have a major impact on clinical practice.

2.3 Different parts of the RCN have already achieved a great deal towards providing e-health resources and learning opportunities for members and staff and by ensuring that the nursing voice is heard in national and local developments. The rapid growth of this agenda and its likely impact of all aspects of nursing and healthcare require the RCN to develop a broader focus and more concerted action across the whole organisation.

3. Detail

3.1 To deliver appropriate e-health products and services to members and to help ensure that new IT developments are safe and fit for the purpose of supporting patient care, the RCN needs to establish an organisation wide integrated plan of action, building on what is already being done. Specific objectives for each business unit will evolve as members’ needs evolve but based on the findings of the online survey we need to ensure we are:

  • Delivering appropriate guidance and resources to support nurses’ use of information and engagement in modernisation through e-health
  • Delivering learning materials and information about learning opportunities
  • Integrating e-health into career and competency frameworks and leadership programmes
  • Influencing locally and nationally to ensure systems and ways of working with IT are safe and support professional nursing practice
  • Influencing locally and nationally to ensure nurses are adequately trained and supported to use new systems and to ensure that e-health is integrated into nursing curricula at all levels.

3.2 Much is already happening across the four countries, from European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) training and learning zone developments to member representation on e-health strategy groups. Initial RCN work on mapping e-health competencies for clinical practice has identified gaps in learning provision around clinical information management (as distinct from IT skills). The online survey showed that there are many myths and misconceptions around such areas as information sharing and electronic records.

3.3 We will need to include ongoing monitoring of members’ concerns and needs in future planning. Existing and new partnerships will be necessary to support RCN e-health activity, to avoid duplication of effort and to make best use of existing resources. This agenda has implications for all business units as the attached consultation paper illustrates.

4. Resources, costs and implications

4.1 Co-ordination and funding: a cross-unit planning team sponsored by Alison Kitson is being established to facilitate information exchange and help to co-ordinate activity across the different business units. Prioritisation of this work and the detail of specific projects (and resource implications) will need to be identified within annual business plans.

4.2 Leads: Alison Kitson will champion this agenda across the organisation to ensure appropriate prioritisation and allocation of resources. Leads for specific areas of work have been / will need to be established by business unit heads.

5. UK- wide / Four country perspective

5.1 Underpinning knowledge, clinical competencies and principles for information management are common to all countries and healthcare settings and are an argument for an integrated RCN approach. However, there are significant differences in the law, strategic direction and IT implementation plans in the four UK countries. These differences are being / will need to be identified and addressed in planning for specific products and services.

6. Strategic plan

6.1 As the attached paper demonstrates, the e-health agenda cuts across most areas of the RCN Mission and Strategic Plan, from representing and influencing to developing and building. Milestone 18 refers to electronic resources in the workplace, which is a significant part of this agenda, but does not encompass the full scope of this work.

7. Recommendation

7.1 The Public Policy Committee is asked to support the inclusion of e-health activity in all relevant business plans and advise on additional activities.

Lead officer: Alison Kitson,
Executive Director, Nursing

Originators: Anne Casey & Sharon Levy, Professional Nursing Department
Input from: Formal consultation with internal stakeholders / business unit leads