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Specialist physiotherapist Sheena Burnside appears in Q&A to publicise digital leadership programme

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Future options: are you ready to become a digital leader in healthcare in Scotland?

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Experienced physiotherapists based in Scotland have until 1 July to apply to join the 18th cohort of the Digital Health and Care Leadership Programme (DLP), which starts on 14 September and ends on 30 May 2023.

The programme, which is run in a virtual format, involves live learning sessions, peer support groups and self-study time. Thus far, 450 people working in health, social care, housing and the third sector have completed the course and become a ‘digital champion’ or leader in their place of work.

Applicants must be responsible for managing a team or service in their organisation and/or hold a brief for digital transformation. They need a digital transformation project they can progress while on the programme, and should ensure they will be supported by their line manager and their organisation’s digital health and care lead.

Physio Sheena Burnside appears in Q&A

Sheena Burnside, a specialist physiotherapist in NHS Ayrshire and Arran, recently graduated from the DLP programme. She is one of several health and social care professionals who have completed the course to appear in a video Q&A that would-be applicants are invited to watch.

Sheena explains that her ongoing educational project was delivered to small groups of patients requiring cardiac rehabilitation or with heart-related problems, via MSN Teams. Sessions covered topics such as anxiety management, fatigue management and healthy living.

Sheena acknowledges she faced some personal challenges while on the programme, such as having to try to understand what her own leadership style was, while overcoming a lack of confidence in her ‘tech’ abilities was another.

But she was impressed by the array of 'incredible experts' who contributed to the programme and benefited from the peer support groups that are a key component of the DLP.

If you add digital on top of the thing that is misunderstood and broken, you will end up with a misunderstood, broken digital thing [Lesley Holdsworth]

Viewers are offered some words of wisdom from Lesley Holdsworth, clinical lead for digital health and care at the Scottish Government. The quotation from Lesley, a physiotherapist by background, could be seen as a warning that digital projects must be underpinned by a clarity of thinking in order to succeed.

‘If you add digital on top of the thing that is misunderstood and broken,’ she said, ‘you will end up with a misunderstood, broken digital thing.’

The DLP is designed for experienced health and care professionals who have

  • an interest in digital health and care
  • a passion to increase the use of technology for the benefit of service users
  • determination to develop their leadership skills

As well as seeking applications from individuals, the DLP also welcomes multidisciplinary team applications from those working collaboratively on the same project. 

To find out more, visit: https://learn.nes.nhs.scot/52828/digital-health-and-care-leadership-programme-dlp/dlp-recruitment

To follow the programme on Twitter: @nes_dlp

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