Regional Informatics Skills Development Networks (ISDNs)

The flourishing ISDNs in the North West and Yorkshire & Humber already provide a wide range of learning, networking, sharing and accreditation resources to support informatics or digital health practitioners and departments across those regions.

ISDNs are established by health and care organisations working together across a region to support digital professionalism and career development of informatics / digital health specialists. They promote the use, application and readiness for digital across the whole workforce.

HEE is providing pump prime investment into the new regions targeted at informatics / Digital Health staff, with the intension of proving the value with future costs of running each Network being picked up by the existing Skills Development Network member subscription model .

ISDNs:

• Support career pathways from entering the profession to the development of future CIO’s, CCIO’s and CNIO’s
• Work closely with professional bodies and the Federation for Informatics Professionals (FEDIP) to develop standards, career progression and accreditation
• Help spread national models to support adoption and take-up

An ISDN is being set-up in each region of the country. Contact your region for more information or the HEE Digital Readiness email address to be redirected and to get involved:

We have developed an online toolkit to support new regions while they are setting up.  The toolkit provides advice, guidance, templates and examples covering all aspects of the running of an ISDN. We are very grateful to the North West Informatics Skills Development Network – an established network with over ten years’ experience in this area, for providing the content.

The key topics are:

• Getting started
• Year 1 training programme
• Data collection
• Inaugural annual conference
• Accreditation programme
• Setting up special interest groups

HEE will also provide tailored practical support such as limited initial funding for an in-region SDN coordinator and work closely with organisations such as the Federation for Informatics Professionals to develop the professional landscape. We are initially targeting regions where there is an existing strong CIO/CCIO network or Finance SDN, and working with the NHSE Regional Directors, regional digital teams, Academic Health Science Networks and CSUs.

For more information please contact digitalreadiness@hee.nhs.uk or take a look at the resources below.

Projects, outputs and reports to date

Informatics Skills Development Networks – ‘ISDN in a Box’ rollout overview

ISDN Roll Out Overview November 2020.pdf