NHS England Chief Nursing and Chief Midwifery Information Officers' visit showcases success of UHDB's digital transformation
University Hospitals of Derby and Burton (UHDB) recently welcomed NHS England's Chief Nursing Information Officer (CNIO) Helen Balsdon, Chief Midwifery Information Officer Jules Gudgeon and NHS England - Midlands Regional CNIO Deanne Driscoll to the Royal Derby Hospital to showcase the impacts being made by our Trust-wide digital transformation programme.
As part of the collaboration following UHDB's merger in 2018, an innovative approach to our move from analogue to digital is in progress, unifying digital systems across the Trust and allowing colleagues to use the same systems across all sites. This will improve ease of access to data, leading to better patient safety and supporting clinicians to allocate more time to delivering care.
A key area of focus has been around UHDB's new electronic patient record systems (EPR), which are a centralised way of holding detailed information about a person's care and health - with recent deployments of BadgerNet and Nervecentre.
During the visit of NHS England colleagues on 28 May, Helen, Jules and Deanne met with UHDB teams behind the implementation of BadgerNet, the new maternity and neonatal EPR system >, and spoke to colleagues who use it directly on our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Royal Derby Hospital.
That part of the day included the visitors meeting Gemma Poole, User Researcher, whose work has focused on understanding the needs and wants of pregnant women, birthing people and new parents, to shape the patient-facing part of the EPR, BadgerNotes.
Reflecting on her visit, NHS England Chief Midwifery Information Officer Jules Gudgeon said: "There is an overwhelmingly positive culture towards digital, which is being driven by good, robust digital leadership in the Trust. UHDB is one to watch and see grow."
UHDB colleagues also showcased the work happening with our new core EPR, Nervecentre, following go-live of the first module in February 2025 > as part of an award-winning joint procurement with Chesterfield Royal Hospital. This included the immersive simulation training suite, which offers a safe and realistic training environment for staff to engage directly with the EPR system before it goes live - a hands-on approach using a continuous development resource that is aiming to foster digital confidence, reduce anxiety and accelerate familiarity with the system among users.
Debbie Loke, Executive Chief Digital Information Officer at UHDB, highlighted the value that such resources are playing in the ongoing shift from analogue to digital.
She said: "We are on a digital transformation journey to ensure our colleagues have quick, easy access to the systems and information they need to provide high-quality care. Teams are using pioneering approaches including the immersive simulation training suite to deliver EPR training and enhanced engagement with patients and colleagues, shaping our systems with users' needs at its heart.
"I am grateful that colleagues across UHDB have welcomed digital change and pleased we are already seeing the positive impact of our innovative approaches and digital advancements."
NHS England Chief Nursing Information Officer Helen Balsdon was impressed by experiencing the education suite in action - as well as seeing how colleagues are proactively engaging in the digital transformation journey.
Helen said: "The high level of staff engagement with digital to drive improvements to care was fabulous to see. It was a privilege to be given an early showcase of Derby and Burton's immersive education suite - offering the potential to bring education and practice together in a safe, well-thought-through learning environment."
Among other elements of the day was a visit to Ward 207, where nurses and healthcare support workers (HCSWs) shared their first-hand experiences of using Nervecentre as part of their elective trauma and orthopaedic care for patients on that ward. Clare Baddeley, Ward Manager, described it as like "having the ward in her pocket" in getting easy access to data, which is supporting high-quality care and meaning the team has more time available to provide that level of care.
Stacey Hatton, UHDB's Chief Nursing Information Officer, was also part of the visit and said: "I am proud of the work at UHDB, both from the teams behind implementing new systems, and colleagues across the Trust who have embraced digital change. We continue to look at new, innovative ways we can support colleagues to prepare for new systems, improving digital confidence and allowing UHDB to maximise the benefits available for each system. It was an honour to showcase the dedication, passion and forward-thinking approach displayed across our Trust to NHS England colleagues."