Specialist Health Informatics Learning Package for NHS Direct
Brief Overview of Work
Within NHS Direct Wales, a Specialist Team of Health Information Advisers frontline
the Information arm of the service, providing ‘information prescriptions’ to callers, on a
wide range of health information issues
Health Information Advisers are skilled in many different areas, for example, information
retrieval, critical appraisal, assessing and evaluating information, communication
techniques and relaying appropriate information to callers.
Even though Information Advisers are provided with comprehensive, ongoing training, it
was decided to develop and pilot a Specialist Health Informatics Learning Package
(SHILP), which would enable staff to broaden their knowledge and learn new skills and
expertise.
The Course content covers topics such as: The History & Developments of Informatics;
Understanding Research; Information & Communications Technology; Governance; and
Keeping up to date.
The Course content is broad and enables Information Advisers to not only build on the
skills that they already have, but to gain new knowledge about themes and issues
affecting the NHS.
The pilot is currently an internal project, however there is scope to deliver this to other
interested parties in the future.
Benefits
NHS Direct Wales recognizes that ‘Information is Power’, and that providing an up to
date, evidence based service to callers will help them make informed choices and
decisions about their health and their care. In order to continually achieve this aim, we
must invest resources into the Health Information Advisers who are delivering this
service to consumers.
Through SHILP, the Information Advisers are being armed with the necessary skills,
tools, knowledge and expertise to deliver modernized information service, and are able to
adapt to the ever-evolving world of information and informatics.
Hopefully, SHILP will help to create a new class of information specialists who have had
the opportunity to learn through innovative and modernized methods.
Skills that have been developed from this Package are transferable to other situations and
roles, which means that they can form the basis of life long learning within the NHS.
The NHS Direct Wales Health Information Team is in a prime position to develop and
promote a Health Informatics specialist role. All staff are registered or are working
towards registration for the UK Council for Health Informatics Professions (UKCHIP),
which provides staff with a code of conduct, standards of practice and a platform for
professional recognition.
Further Information
Any comments or feedback can be directed to:
Alison Johnstone
Health Information Resource Officer
NHS Direct Wales
Alison.Johnstone@nhsdirect.wales.nhs.uk