Apps: a personal perspective from a chief clinical information officer (CCIO)

Toral Thomas, Chief Clinical Information Officer, Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust, attended the Channel shift to digital outpatients workshop in Birmingham on 24 September, 2018. The event, one of four national outpatients events, was organised and hosted by the academic health science networks (AHSNs), on behalf of NHS Improvement. It aimed to spread expertise in digital outpatient transformation across NHS trusts in the Midlands. Toral found value in the event’s presentations, workshop session and networking opportunities.

“A key take out for me from today’s event is to value citizens’ time when considering outpatient appointments. There’s a huge appetite for people to self-manage appointments, access their health records, and interact remotely with clinicians. Patient portals and other platforms are really starting to expedite the process.”

“It was good to see apps on the growing NHS Apps Library highlighted today, including myCOPD and Mumoactive. The library also has great apps for mental health including some for child and adolescent mental health (CAMHS).”

No stranger to new health technology himself, Toral uses a glucose monitoring system to manage his own diabetes. The device’s discreet sensor – connected to his arm – integrates with his mobile phone to give him a 24/7 overview of his blood glucose levels. He said the system has not only transformed the way he manages his condition, but has also reduced the discomfort associated with frequent finger prick blood sampling.

Toral is working on trust transformation projects including end-to-end e-prescribing and medicines administration. These will improve patient safety by reducing prescribing and administration errors that could result in medication errors and adverse drug events.