Communities
The Digital Health Networks comprises diverse communities united by a shared interest in digital health. By collaborating and exchanging best practices, we work together to drive positive change in how digital technologies and data enhance healthcare services.
At the heart of our community are three core networks:
- Chief Clinical Information Officer (CCIO) Network
- Health Chief Information Officer (CIO) Network
- Chief Nursing Information Officer (CNIO) Network
Each of these networks is guided by a directly elected advisory panel, who drive change in digital health, ensuring that the voices of their members are represented on key national issues and priorities.
These networks have evolved over time, growing to remarkable numbers and driving significant improvements across the health and care sector through various initiatives and outcomes. Each network is committed to advancing the development of current and future digital leaders across all health and social care organisations, offering a mix of knowledge resources, events, and online collaboration platforms.
The CCIO Leaders Network welcomes clinicians working in health and social care, commissioning bodies, academics, regulators, and arms-length bodies. Industry membership is limited to CCIOs from Networks Sponsors.
Membership of the CCIO Leaders Network is by invitation or application, open to health professionals with a recognised clinical qualification and active clinical registration. Members must have a role involving health informatics and information leadership, recognised by their employer. Trainees and aspiring CCIOs are also encouraged to join.
While the focus is on the UK, CCIOs from outside the UK are also welcome to join.
The network welcomes clinicians from health and social care providers, commissioning bodies, academics, regulators, and arms-length bodies. Industry membership is limited to CNIOs representing Networks Sponsors.
Membership of the CNIO Leaders Network is by invitation or application and open to nurses, midwives, and Allied Health Professionals with a recognised clinical qualification and active clinical registration. Members must have a role in health informatics or information leadership recognised by their employer. Trainees and aspiring CNIOs are encouraged to join.
While primarily UK-focused, CNIOs from outside the UK are also welcome.
The network is open to senior IT leaders from health and social care providers, commissioning bodies, academics, regulators, and arms-length organisations. Industry membership is limited to Health CIOs representing Networks Sponsors.
Membership of the Health CIO Leaders Network is by invitation or application and brings together the most senior IT leaders in health organisations. Trainees and aspiring Health CIOs are encouraged to join the network.
While the network primarily focuses on the UK, Health CIOs from outside the UK are also welcome to join.
Membership of the Digital Health Networks and any of the communities within the network is free and comes with a range of exclusive benefits, including:
- Access to the Digital Health collaboration community
- Access to a network of 6,500+ professionals passionate about digital health
- Participation in specialised community discussion groups tailored to your interests
- Opportunities to enhance your profile visibility within the network
- The ability to vote in elections and help elect advisory panel members
- Invitations to local and national events, both virtual and in-person
- Exclusive access to bursary programmes, mentoring initiatives, and network-led surveys and research
The CCIO and CNIO Handbook explores the evolving roles of Chief Clinical Information Officers (CCIOs) and Chief Nursing Information Officers (CNIOs) in the healthcare sector.
The CCIO Handbook covers critical aspects such as understanding user-centered healthcare design, the importance of digital transformation in patient care, managing cybersecurity threats, and ensuring clinical safety in digital workflows. The handbook also provides insights into the early days of a CCIO’s role, including historical context and personal experiences from pioneers in the field.
The CNIO Handbook highlights the role of CNIOs in bridging the gap between clinical practice and technology, with a focus on leadership, team-building, and the integration of digital tools in nursing. Chapters explore the journey of CNIOs in digital healthcare, the challenges faced in aligning nursing and IT teams, and the impact of digital transformation on clinical practice. Both handbooks provide essential guidance for healthcare professionals navigating the digital transformation landscape.
How to deliver user-centred healthcare design ‘The cure for the pain is in the pain.’ Rumi Key to any healthcare intervention is understanding and addressing personal experience. In clinical practice this is done by taking a history, observing, testing, and …
The Audacity to Own Your Digital Transformation Digital technologies, transformation and innovation are the golden threads that join business, operations and clinical intelligence together, to transform patient care and outcomes. In the past, IT initiatives primarily focused on hardware and …
Everything a CCIO needs to know about Cyber Security The risk of a cyber-attack in healthcare has grown dramatically over the past 20 years with many, such as WannaCry and Log4J, affecting the NHS directly. As a result, the question …
As clinicians, we take clinical safety very seriously – it’s baked into our ways of working, but what about in our digital roles? Digitising workflow can eliminate certain errors within analogue processes, but it can also introduce new ones too. …
First 100 Days in the Life of a CCIO Sarah Thompson and Ramandeep Kaur are amongst the first pharmacists in the country to become Chief Clinical Information Officers (CCIOs). Sarah was recognised by the Pharmaceutical Journal in 2022 as a …
History of the CCIO – who, what, why, and where? The rise of the Chief Clinical Information Officer (‘CCIO’) as a recognised role within the NHS has been the most influential change in how technology is applied to healthcare in …
One of the very first things I ever did in clinical informatics was to build a team of outstanding people. In 2015, shortly after becoming director of development at Barts Health, an informal steering group of nurses who – like me …
The CNIO role is often seen as a link between nurses working clinically and the IT department, but in my case it also involves being a link between two recently merged trusts covering acute and community services. Differing approaches to …
It’s fair to say I’ve had a varied nursing career. I qualified in 1994 and have held clinical roles and management ones. I started taking an interest in digitally-supported healthcare over 10 years ago when I discovered a love for …
Back in 2015, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust – a small but mighty specialist paediatrics trust – set a vision for its digital future. We were to introduce an electronic patient record (EPR): “An integrated system …
Introducing the CNIO role The chief nursing information officer role is usually broad but, at its heart, it is about bridging the gap between technology and clinical practice. CNIOs should have a seat at the table when the clinical technology …
The value of nursing digital leadership Sarah Hanbridge, chief clinical information officer, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust and chair, CNIO Network It’s about two and a half years since I become a chief clinical information officer, meaning I very formally …
