Third party

NHS Wales Informatics Services has been carrying out a technical evaluation into openEHR to test its viability as a repository for structured clinical data. The technology will be rolled out soon to support national projects such as Accelerating Cancer and to provide a shared medications record for NHS Wales.

With the emergence of COVID-19 in Wales, came uncertainty for every aspect of society. Questions quickly surfaced; how and where the virus was spreading? What effect it would have on public health? How would our health and care services handle the additional pressures? And what short and long-term impacts will the pandemic have on health and our way of life?

Allan Wardhaugh is a Paediatric Intensivist and CCIO in Cardiff & Vale UHB, and a clinical lead (secondary care) for the National VC Programme.

If you’ve ever had a serious treatment or procedure done, you might have been asked to fill out a questionnaire and rate your recovery after the fact. These questionnaires are called Patient Recorded Outcome Measures (PROMs) and they come in various shapes and sizes.

During the coronavirus pandemic we have seen a kindness in people and communities like never before. We’ve seen key workers going above and beyond the call of duty to care for the sick and vulnerable. And, we’ve also seen other hidden heroes who have taken to the challenge of developing innovation at pace, in a bid to help fight the pandemic in Wales and across the globe.

As we face this current unprecedented challenge, we all need to find new ways of working. The health system is having to adapt very quickly to continue to provide support whilst also prioritising resources for the fight against Coronavirus.

This is a guest blog by Derek Walker, Chief Executive, Wales Co-operative Centre and Professor Hamish Laing, Professor of Enhanced innovation, Engagement and Outcomes, Swansea University and Chair of the Digital Inclusion Alliance Wales.