Bringing a passion for nursing and safety she looks forward to being part of a leading forum for debate on the big issues shaping health tech and the digital health industry
Leading chief nursing information officer Sam Neville is joining the Highland Marketing advisory board. Sam brings a passion for nursing and safety to the board, which debates the big issues in NHS IT and advises the specialist health tech agency and its clients.
She has been a nurse for 30 years and became interested in the potential of digital in healthcare when she led an e-NEWS scoring implementation at what is now Mid and South Essex NHS Trust. She is currently associate director of clinical applications and CNIO at the trust, as well as regional CNIO and clinical safety officer for the East of England.
“People often ask me: ‘Are you still a nurse?’,” she said. “And I say: ‘Yes, I am still a registered nurse, but I am using that to make sure IT works for nurses and midwives.’ For that reason, I like to be involved in a wide range of organisations and forums, so I can support through shared learning from my multi-faceted roles and gain new insights.
“As a jobbing CNIO, I thought the Highland Marketing advisory board looked like a great opportunity. I am really looking forward to hearing from such a diverse group of digital health experts and I am confident I can give things back, by bringing the nursing perspective to bear.”
Sam started her career at Basildon and Thurrock University Hospital NHS Trust, where she developed an interest in surgery. She held a series of increasingly senior positions, including head of nursing and quality surgical services, before spending a decade as a matron.
From there, she developed her interest in digital after seeing the potential of the e-observation and NEWS scoring system to make information about patient status visible to clinical and operational teams, so they could use it to deliver optimal care.
Sam went on to become clinical informatics lead nurse and then CNIO five years’ ago. She added her regional responsibilities two years’ ago, and now splits her work week between the trust and the region to bring together a holistic approach to digital transformation in clinical practice.
Her expertise meant she was also asked to contribute to the Phillips-Ives Review, which was set up by the previous government to review the digital skills of nurses and midwives and to make recommendations about the capabilities, education and training they will need in the future.
The review has not been published, but Sam argues it should inform the digital elements of the 10 Year Health Plan due next year. “People still say that nurses are not digitally literate, but that is not true these days,” she says.
“There are many nurses coming into the profession who have grown up with smart phones and are eager to use the kind of technology at work that they use in their day to day lives. We need to make sure they have good, usable systems and the right capabilities to do that.”
Mark Venables, chief executive of Highland Marketing, said: “It is excellent news that Sam has agreed to join our advisory board. Nurses and midwives make a third of the total NHS workforce, so it is vital that their perspective is considered when digital developments are being discussed, planned, and implemented.
“Sam will bring that perspective to the advisory board’s discussions, and provide vital insight for our clients, who work in all areas of health and medtech.”
Highland Marketing is an established research, PR, marketing and content agency with more than 20 years’ experience in digital health.
It currently employs or works with more than 30 experts in strategy, campaigns, and sales acceleration, as well as contributing to the wider development of its sector, through the work of its advisory board, and its partnerships with health and med tech organisations.
