Breaking Barriers: digital skills journeys

Breaking Barriers: digital skills journeys

The Digitally Enabled Workforce team in NES are a delivery partner for Scottish Government's Building Digital Skills and Leadership Programme and are responsible for the delivery of a programme of work aligned to Scotland’s Digital Health and Care Strategy, Health and social care: data strategy and Care in the Digital Age delivery plan 2023-24.

The programme priorities are to develop national resources and learning networks that enable developing digital skills and digital leadership across the whole of the health and social care sector.

This conference session covered a range of initiatives, including the:

• Professional Development Award in Technology Enabled Care
• Digital Health and Care Leadership Programme
• NHS Scotland M365 Skills Hub
• Knowledge Information and Data (KIND) Network

The session facilitators explored why leaders at all levels need to be digital leaders. Why they ought to have curiosity, to understand how digital leadership applies across sectors - building knowledge and skills in the system to support and deliver digital transformation.

Participants were challenged to think about their own assumptions, and asked some key questions:

• Do we really know the skills required to lead and work in a digital age and what barriers are getting in the way?
• How do we embed digital transformation leaders across health and social care and equip them with the necessary digital skills?
• Do we really know what skills and capabilities are required to work and lead in a digital age?
• Why technology is an enabler and not an end in itself?

Participants shared their journeys and answers to some of these questions. How they overcame barriers including personal perspectives, resistance and change management. The session explored digital as a way of thinking and working - and how it fits with multi-sector roles across professions.

One of the presenters, Lesley Holdsworth, clinical lead for digital Health and care with the Scottish Government, said during her session:

“This programme is really about developing and empowering rising digital leaders to be brave and bold and to do things differently….

“And within the programme, through subject matter expertise, through peer support, networking and delivering a practical project, the programme is designed to develop the strategic leadership skills of participants and those skills which are required to influence the use of digital solutions in health and social care delivery in order to benefit people."

It's easy to get caught up in the tech, but digital is primarily a collaborative way of working with other people.

For more information, please contact:

Paula Baird, Programme Lead, Digitally Enabled Workforce

Emma Scatterty, Specialist Lead – Digital Leadership, Digitally Enabled Workforce

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