UK Council
for Health
Informatics
Professions
Why is professionalism
important for health
informatics staff and how do
we assure it?
Helen Sampson –Clinical Informatician
Past Chair, Nursing Specialist Group
BCS Health Informatics
Finance Director UKCHIP
Health Informatics escaping the
server room and reaching the
boardroom 30th Sept 2008
‘This is the time for health
informatics to come out of the back
office’ and for ‘greater leadership
from the top of the office for the
health informatics profession’
(Matthew Swindells, HC2008)
We must 'protect, promote and
maintain the health and safety of the
public by ensuring proper standards
in practice'
(Professor Sir Graham Catto,
President- General Medical Council,
BCSPHCSG Conference, June
2008).
Why Professionalism
To improve the quality of IT
enabled change
To improve the reputation of IT
To improve self esteem
What is Professionalism?
 A profession
– serves society
– provides leadership to society
 Social responsibility prevails over insularity in the
behaviour of professionals
 Professionals practise with independence
 Professionals practice for the client over
competition and employer
 Institutional functions for representation and
scrutiny are separated
What is the future for
UKCHIP?
 It is being used as the exemplar for ProfIT
 It may eventually become part of the overall
IT professionalism movement
 Working towards accreditation under
UKAS as a certifying body
 It will continue in its aims of driving up
quality, giving registrants greater self
esteem and improving patient safety
 Looking to certify HI services and Courses
What is a Professional Body?
Lord Benson 1992
 Controlled by governing body which directs
behaviour
 Sets entry standards and professional competence
 Sets ethical rules and professional standards
 Designed for benefit of public & not members
 Work often reserved by statute
 Ensures fair and open competition
 Members must be independent in thought and
outlook
 Leadership in a field of learning
Why is it not just a BCS issue
 Although it is the professional society
it has been seen as just concerned
about the technical IT
 When the Health Forum and the NHS
started looking at professionalism the
BCS was not ready UKCHIP
developed as an independent body
Professionalism in IT
 Prof IT defined what is needed to develop
professionalism for all of the IT/IM profession
 Involved BCS, IEE, Intellect, eGov, eSkills
(Sector Skills Council, . All the major employers
 Looking at
–
–
–
–
–
Professional Behaviour
Competency Framework -SFIA
Qualifications - CITP
Career pathways
Professional Registration
What is Health Informatics?
 ‘knowledge, skills and tools that enable
information to be collected, managed, used
and shared to support delivery of
healthcare and to promote health [and
wellbeing]’
Health Informaticians
 ICT staff
 Health Records & Coding Staff
 Information Management
 Knowledge Management
 Senior HI Managers / Directors of Services
 Clinical Informatics
 Education, Training & Development
 Research
Professionalism – the Context
 Increasing impact of HI on patient care
 Significant NHS investment in HI
 Skills and leadership deficit
 Recruitment/retention problems
The Problem for HI Staff
 The need for a career pathway
 The need for adequate recognition
– Professional Credibility
– Appropriate Remuneration
– Correct Workplace Setting
 The need for a professional “home”
 Current organisations did not meet these
needs
Bad Health Informatics
Damages Patients
 Patients must have died due to the London
Ambulance system failure. (Parliamentary
report)
 Abnormal cervical smears not acted on until
too late
 Incorrect radiotherapy doses
 Downs Syndrome risks inaccurately
reported
What is Needed?
 Register of HI Professionals
 Professional standards
– Code of Conduct
– Education, training and experience
– Continuing professional development
 Career structure for HI professionals
– Recognition by employers
 Health care lags a decade behind aviation on
safeguarding consumers lives. IOM reports “To
err is human” 2000
UKCHIP’s formal Aim
 Its aim is:
 “to be the regulatory body for all
branches of health informatics in the
United Kingdom”
Sectors
 NHS
 Private Health
 Industry / Commercial
 Higher / Further Education
Elements of the Scheme
 Constituencies
– broad definition of HI
 Sectors
– all those involved in HI
 Levels of Registration
– different levels of experience and responsibility
Registration Levels
 Level 1
– limited experience/responsibility
 Level 2
– career grade
– significant qualifications/experience
 Level 3
– leadership grade
– advanced qualifications/experience
Registration Requirements
 Code of conduct
 Professional standards
– qualifications
– employment profile
– health experience
– informatics experience
 Points scheme
– trade-off (with strict minima)
Continuing Professional
Development
 A professional has to keep up to date
 A professional body needs to monitor this
 Each branch of the profession has different
needs
 UKCHIP has its own CPD scheme but if
there is a CPD scheme from another body
which fits the requirements UKCHIP will
recognise that
What Next?
 Acceptance by employers
 Detailed Core Competencies
 Accreditation of training schemes and
conferences
– education, supervised experience, mentoring etc
 Career Pathway
– normal entry route
 Statutory registration?
Why Register?
 As an individual
– Demonstrate commitment to Code of Conduct
– Sign up to professional standards
– Recognise responsibility to the public
– Self esteem
 In the interests of the profession
– Establish HI as a recognised profession
– Support UKCHIP
UKCHIP (UK Council of Health Informatics Professions)
If you are not registered go to
www.ukchip.org
Any Questions