CiLN Advisory Panel Update – October 2023

Update - CiLN Advisory Panel member Becky George

As we enter the final quarter of 2023, the CiLN Advisory Panel reflected on the year that has been and the potential for what could be ahead. The result of the election will certainly have an impact across our Health and Disability system, and while our workforce continues to focus on delivering the best care possible, we are determined to deliver much needed support across our services, working together to make the most of the digital tools in hand.

The fact that many of our colleagues in digital health leadership roles face some uncertainty in their immediate future did not limit the debate on what our health workforce needs. We all agreed that the continued development of our digital health clinical workforce is critical in educating, leading, and supporting our multidisciplinary colleagues to navigate the technological integration within their services.

We recognise that several international bodies, including the WHO, BMIA, AIDH and the FCI, either already have or are working on professional competency frameworks. So, while we work to catch up with our international colleagues, we have support from esteemed academic colleagues across Auckland, Otago and Massey Universities, who are investigating and researching how best to embed clinical informatics for greatest effect. We also have the Nursing and Midwifery, and Allied Health, Scientific and Technical Informatics Groups pooling their resources and empowering the workforce to develop their skills and expand their career horizons.

To align with and contribute across this valuable mahi, the CiLN Advisory Panel are partnering with our CCIO, Lara Hopley and with Tim Corbett, CEO of HiNZ, to form a cross sector working group focussed on digital health clinical workforce development.

Our immediate focus is on streamlining effort, time, and resource by scoping the national and international work already underway and accessible. The three main topics of interest are in identifying: career pathways, educational tiers of qualification and stakeholder engagement/impact.

These topics were chosen because they did not duplicate what is already in place or being worked on across New Zealand. We are already fortunate to have a number of courses, institutes, and a Digital Health Academy in place. However, the panel members regularly receive anecdotal feedback on the value of their roles and the need for more of their expertise across organisations.

Working in partnership means that a cohesive approach can be taken to pulling all of these valuable threads of mahi together. The outcome is focused on enabling our health providers, industry partners, and the health and disability workforce to have clinical experts embed safe and reliable systems, that realise the full benefit and value for the consumer and the workforce.

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