Chief Clinical Information Officers Bring Seniority and Deep Clinical Expertise to New Role

The first survey of serving NHS chief clinical information officers (CCIOs) highlights the deep clinical experience that is being brought to the new role. It also shows CCIOs are spending 50% more time on the role than their organisations have budgeted for, as they make clinical engagement and information strategy their top priorities. This clearly highlights the growing importance of the CCIO.

The results of the survey were released on the eve of the CCIO Leaders Network's first annual conference, which is being held alongside EHI Live 2012 at the NEC in Birmingham.

Dr Wai Keong Wong, chair of the CCIO Leaders Network advisory panel, said: "This in-depth survey reveals that the challenges that CCIOs face across different organisations have greater similarities than differences. Most identified the majority of their work as guiding clinicians and decision makers in their workplace through the process of digitisation of healthcare, the most significant change in work practice in the past century."

The survey was carried out by the CCIO Leaders Network in conjunction with eHealth Insider, which set up the EHI CCIO campaign last year to encourage every NHS organisation to consider appointing a CCIO to lead on IT and information projects.

The survey drew responses from the first NHS CCIOs to have been appointed and from clinicians serving on the CCIO Leaders Network advisory panel. It found that two thirds of CCIOs are in their first formal IT and informatics role, although several had previously been members of IT strategy boards and project teams. However, around three quarters of respondents had been clinicians for more than 20 years.

These results indicate the CCIO role is being treated as a senior one, confirmed by the fact many CCIOs are reporting directly to their organisation's medical director, chief executive, chief operating officer or director of informatics.

Other survey results include:

  • CCIOs are contracted to spend an average of two days a week on their CCIO responsibilities but actually spend an average of three days a week on the role.
  • The two top responsibilities undertaken by CCIOs are influencing information strategy and developing clinical engagement, both cited by 86% of respondents. Other significant responsibilities centre around quality, procurement, and commissioning for quality and innovation.
  • Two-thirds of CCIOs feel they have sufficient authority to carry out the role effectively.
  • The skills required for the role span clinical, management and technical capabilities, with change management and clinical engagement cited as key skills. A number of respondents indicated they felt the need to develop greater technical skills and understanding, with a quarter looking to take a formal IT-related qualification to help them in the role.

Wong said: "There is a clear call to provide educational and collaborative space for CCIOs that crosses traditional boundaries and organisations. In the course of the next year, the CCIO Leaders Network will seek to respond to some of these needs, but this will not be sustainable without the involvement and resources of the NHS Commissioning Board and the traditional royal medical colleges, individually or collectively."

About the CCIO Leaders Network
The CCIO Leaders Network is a multi-platform discussion and events programme designed to promote and develop current and future clinical information leaders to support the growing community of CCIOs across the NHS. It operates a year-round series of face-to-face and online events and discussions, culminating each year in the annual CCIO conference held at EHI Live. The primary goal is to nurture the burgeoning community of CCIOs and those who wish to become CCIOs, by creating a professional community of support, best practice and knowledge that embeds and spreads the CCIO role within the NHS.

Online, the CCIO Leaders Network publishes profiles of CCIOs, feature articles, professional development resources and hosts the CCIO Forum http://www.ehi.co.uk/campaign/ccio-home.cfm

EHI Live 2012
Now in its fifth year, EHI Live is a two-day conference and exhibition which has become recognised as the key event in the eHealth calendar. Organised by the team behind industry news service eHealth Insider, EHI Live brings together suppliers, healthcare IT professionals and clinicians to discuss and debate the issues facing those involved in healthcare IT who want to use IT to improve the efficiency and quality of health services. EHI Live attracts delegates, visitors and exhibitors from across the UK and internationally.

EHI Live 2012 will take place at the NEC, Birmingham on 6-7 November 2012. The main conference programme in 2012 includes a number of strands that reflect the diversity of interests in healthcare IT, with the keynote speech from health minister Dr Dan Poulter.

About eHealth Insider
E-health Insider is the leading daily health IT news service in the UK, providing lively and independent news, analysis and insight into developments in healthcare IT and information use.

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