The new Digital Health Directorate is about to finish their first project to improve connectivity and communications across the district and state. Pictured are Courtney Challinor, Dan Maguire, Bronwyn Maxwell and Ian Treweek.
New directorate is enhancing communication technology
Oct 03, 2023Mid North Coast Local Health District facilities spread across the region will be brought closer together thanks to a technology uplift set to benefit staff and patients.
The newly created Digital Health Directorate is on track to migrate 35 meeting rooms across facilities within the Mid North Coast to Microsoft Teams, in collaboration with eHealth NSW, to enhance digital connectivity and collaboration across the region and the state.
While virtual healthcare and meetings aren’t new, enhancing the technology and connectivity to ensure it’s easy for all users was a challenge quickly taken on by the new team.
“In most instances, the technology was in place but difficult to use for our people who, while highly skilled in providing medical care, had varying expertise in using meeting software or the hardware in the rooms,” said Digital Health Director Ian Treweek.
“This project has a targeted goal: to make things easier for our people. The flow-on effect and improvement in patient outcomes have far-reaching potential. For example, our clinicians in local hospitals could consult with a patient in one of our fit-for-purpose meeting rooms and discuss diagnoses or treatment options with a specialist based anywhere in the state.”
For healthcare staff, the uplift in technology means greater confidence in using these collaboration tools, boosting education opportunities and greater knowledge sharing.
The Digital Health Directorate was formed in July 2023 when the new Director, Ian Treweek, was appointed. Formerly known as Information Services, the work was under the Clinical Governance and Information Services Directorate. As technology continues to play a critical role in delivering health services, particularly with the increased digitisation of our health system, the District acknowledged the need to invest in supporting frontline care services with digital solutions.
Key objectives of the new Digital Health Directorate include:
- Coordinating and implementing digital health initiatives across the district by working with clinicians, managers, and other staff to identify needs, develop solutions, and ensure digital health initiatives are integrated within existing systems and processes
- Monitoring how staff use digital health technologies and identify areas for improvement. This includes collecting and analysing data and working with staff to identify and address challenges
- Stay updated with the latest digital health developments and innovations to ensure the District is able to take advantage of new technologies and tools to improve patient care and service delivery
- Supporting and training staff on digital health tools.