Prabha Vijayakumar, nationwide chief AHP info officer, NHS England, Emma Jackson, chief AHP and nursing info officer, Norfolk Neighborhood Well being and Care NHS Belief, and Amy Freeman, chief digital info officer, College Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Belief (Credit score: Digital Well being)
Allied well being professionals (AHPs) should “be courageous” and step into digital management roles if the NHS is to ship on the digital ambitions of the ten 12 months well being plan, in line with a panel of consultants.
Talking at Digital Well being’s webinar on ‘AHPs and the digital commitments of the 10-year plan’ on 12 December 2025, Prabha Vijayakumar, chief AHP info officer at NHS England, mentioned that NHSE has accomplished a digital maturity evaluation for AHPs.
“The first motive for us to do [it] was to determine an evidence-based baseline of digital functionality throughout the allied well being professions,” she defined.
Early findings of the evaluation recognized vital gaps in digital management, AI literacy and knowledge analytics capabilities for AHPs.
Vijayakumar famous that AHP digital management roles are “largely casual, missing protected time and inconsistently banded or recognised nationally”, with 28% maturity nationally.
She added that AI and resolution help literacy was at 38% maturity nationally, with restricted consciousness and minimal coaching throughout professions, and digital affected person file workflows which “aren’t essentially or persistently AHP supportive”.
She additionally mentioned that knowledge analytics functionality for AHPs is “patchy” at round 50% nationally.
“These gaps give us a transparent want for funding, whether or not that’s in management, illustration or coaching and inclusion,” Vijayakumar mentioned.
Emma Jackson, chief AHP and nursing info officer at Norfolk Neighborhood Well being and Care and Cambridgeshire Neighborhood Providers, highlighted innovation which is already underway, such because the rollout of digital med match notes.
She added that that is “a very good instance of the place we have to use the performance that we’ve got in a approach that is smart for our AHPs”.
Jackson urged AHPs to be “courageous” and step ahead into digital management.
“Go discover your digital leads. Discuss to them. Discover your regional digital AHP curiosity group. Be a part of that group. Be a part of that dialog.”
Medical security was highlighted as a possible route into digital roles.
Amy Freeman, chief digital info officer at College Hospitals of North Midlands, described scientific security as “a very great way of discovering your voice on the desk”, including that scientific security officers “are in scarce useful resource”.
“We’re completely determined for good jobbing individuals who can do scientific security,” she mentioned.
Freeman, who can also be chair of the Digital Well being Networks Chief Info Officer Advisory Panel, cautioned that AHPs shouldn’t attempt to remedy digital issues alone.
“It is a workforce sport. You shouldn’t be going and on the lookout for instruments and options by yourself.
“They have to be accomplished together with your digital colleagues and they need to be accomplished recognising the broader digital panorama,” she mentioned.
Freeman additionally challenged assumptions round digitally excluded sufferers.
“Don’t not do one thing good as a result of a small variety of folks can’t interact.
“We will serve them higher by transferring digital after which having a stream of labor to mop up those that aren’t enabled,” she mentioned.
Waiting for delivering the NHS 10 12 months well being plan, Vijayakumar warned that AHPs can’t afford to remain on the sidelines.
“Digital goes to be the largest participant as a result of we can’t maintain doing what we’re doing and count on that it’s going to satisfy the wants of the workforce or going to satisfy the wants of the inhabitants or the companies.
“Remodel your affected person care and use knowledge to drive choices,” Vijayakumar mentioned.
You may watch the webinar on demand right here.
