ETHOS is now offering comprehensive Clinical Safety Training to colleagues, and in particular Allied Health Professionals (AHP).
So why training and why AHPs in particular?
We have recently seen a number of publications that aim to support safe and effective digital work, in the broadest sense, covering workforce competencies and other training-related aspects of using digital health and care technologies in practice.
It is a challenge to clearly identify career pathways into key roles such as a Clinical Safety Officer (CSO), especially for AHPs and others less likely to be involved in the field. They may not be far more exposed to digital health technologies and there is a growing need for their expertise to be applied to and actively supporting risk management activities, leading diverse teams through the DCB0129/0160.standards compliance work.
ETHOS CEO, Stuart Harrison, the author of the standards, established a training arm of the company to start to address the need for more and better training and development opportunities for registered clinicians who may wish to become a CSO. This is the first step in an ambition to create a community of practice, networked into for example the Faculty of Clinical Informatics (FCI) Clinical Safety Officer SIG (special interest group) and NHS Digital clinical Safety team.
The recently published Health Education England paper outlined the development of an AHP Digital Competency Framework. This 10 domain framework contains 124 competencies – not for the faint-hearted! ETHOS is currently reviewing the applicability of the framework to clarify how it relates to a CSO scope/role in the context of the DCB0219 standards in particular as clinical safety is not a specified field.
Optimising the investment in training CSOs is cost-effective if there are clear competencies around which clinicians can frame their Continuing Professional Development (CPD), a requirement of registration. A recent paper published in Informatics BMJ outlining the methodology used by the FCI in Development of a core competency framework for clinical informatics highlighted the needed to avoid clinician burnout by adding to the burden of CPD required.
Domain 4 of this framework clearly identifies:
4.1 Quality Improvement and Clinical Safety
a. Applies quality improvement and process engineering to facilitate business and clinical transformation, measuring and analysing appropriate outcomes
b. Appraises patient safety risk in the design and development of information systems and technologies and ensures that all risk is assessed and managed appropriately to minimise or avoid harm
(Accessed from FCI Core Competency Framework 2020)
So what does this mean in practice?
ETHOS is providing CSO training which you can book through our website as well as via our partners the IET Academy. We are also co-designing our CSO support for new trainees and aligning this offer to the FCI competencies.
ETHOS sees this opportunity as a way of supporting the scope of clinical safety in relation to the CSO role allowing individuals to work in a collegiate environment that will help them learn and gain priceless experience from CSOs and safety engineers who have been working in the sector for many years.
It also gives ETHOS a wealth of knowledge from our AHPs, in particular, that have been exposed to digital health and the technologies within during their working practice. We hope to expand our trainee programme with a set of competencies and standards that will provide a benchmark for the future CSOs working in the Health IT sector influencing the continuing changes of the landscape.
If you would like to join the ETHOS CSO trainee scheme, get in touch via email info@ethos.co.im and address it to Stuart.
