News

The Yorkshire & Humber Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) welcomes the news that the region has become the first health economy training 30 healthcare leaders to an internationally recognised standard and is proud to support the Yorkshire & Humber Local Health & Care Record (LHCRE).

Seven leaders are confirmed as earning the CHIME Certified Healthcare Chief Information Officer qualification, CHCIO, with more results due within the month.

The Yorkshire and Humber Local Health and Care Record Exemplar (LHCRE) is the first LHCRE to participate so actively in this ambitious initiative which aims to professionalise the role of the digital leader in healthcare across the whole of the region, reflected in the diversity of the candidates from Doncaster to Scarborough, encompassing health and social care representing Trusts, Clinical Commissioning Groups and Local Authorities.

The newly announced initiative as part of the NHS Long Term Plan to have a CIO or Chief Clinical Information Officer on the board of every NHS organisation is something that the Yorkshire and Humber LHCRE has taken on as part of its mission and its values across the region. The CHIME qualification will assist in the delivery of the skills and experiences to achieve this.

CHIME (College for Healthcare Information Management Executives) was invited to give the training by host Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Over two weekends the CHIME Healthcare CIO Boot Camp put students through a seven-part curriculum designed to develop the leadership attributes needed in today’s healthcare IT leaders. Taught for CIOs, by CIOs, the Boot Camp also included mentoring, leadership assignments and the opportunity for students to consider their work/life balance needs.

CHIME President and CEO Russ Branzell, who taught the Boot Camp alongside colleagues from the CHIME faculty says: “It was a privilege to bring the Healthcare CIO Boot Camp to Leeds and to meet and work with so many professional individuals from the public sector. My colleagues and I were impressed by the commitment to personal development shown by our students and we look forward to serving them as our newest members of CHIME International. They join our international cohort of exceptional leaders transforming healthcare. ”

CHIME International is active globally where it works with senior healthcare IT leaders to help develop their professional skills. As well as providing online material, CHIME runs Leadership Academies, Chief Medical Information Summits and Healthcare CIO Boot Camps. CHIME works with existing professional organisations and their members whenever possible. The International CHCIO examination is recognised and accredited worldwide.

Will Smart, Chief Information Officer at NHS England and CHIME Board member said, “It is great to see some of the excellent NHS and local authority health tech leaders recognised through the CHCIO qualification. Professional accreditation is fundamentally important to support our drive towards the goals of improving patient centred care by further utilising current and future technical innovations”.

Samantha Atkinson DIT Project Manager at Leeds Teaching Hospitals with 20 years of experience in the NHS said: “When I was invited to join the CHIME bootcamp I wasn’t sure that I was at the right level to successfully engage in a learning specifically tailored for CIO level. The bootcamp though, opened up the way I think about networking, team building and relationships in the projects that I do and will do in the future.”

Rob Child DIT Programme Manager at Leeds Teaching Hospitals with 18 years’ experience in the NHS said: “CHIME has been the perfect personal development opportunity to learn tools and techniques for thinking differently, but for the benefits of the programmes I am responsible for and the direction of Digital in our Healthcare setting of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.”

Richard Corbridge existing CHIME faculty member and Chief Information Officer for Leeds Teaching Hospitals could see the benefits for the wider Yorkshire and Humber region in its strategic development in integrated care. “Advancements in Digital; home assistive technology machine learning with AI, has shown more than ever that the NHS has wonderful opportunities for Digital to assist in patient centred care. Having so many of our digital team across the region able to complete the Healthcare CIO Boot Camp here at Leeds and be successfully accredited is testament not only to the existing skills we have, but the dedication across the region to continuous development of Digital health for citizens healthcare.”