Digital Pioneers Blogs

This page features blogs and case studies exploring a range of topics showcasing digital technology and innovation.

We hope you enjoy reading the blogs below, which have been written to inspire and excite you about the potential to transform digital in primary care.

Remote Monitoring Pilot in General Practice

With demand for services increasing, General Practices in England are facing a widening gap between patient demand and the capacity available to meet it. Finding new ways to deliver care effectively and free up clinicians from administrative processes, is vital….

Can remote monitoring help cope with capacity and demand in General Practice?

A recent poll suggested that 1 in 5 general practices want to use technology to help to manage demand. In the North East and North Cumbria, five GP practices in the region are piloting the use of remote monitoring in…

Digital Pioneers – Fostering collaboration, ideas exchange and innovation to deliver better healthcare for all

Over the last two years, Covid-19 has accelerated digital health in ways that many of us could never have imagined. At Academic Health Science Network for the North East and North Cumbria (AHSN NENC), we’re delighted to be introducing a…

What is innovation? Spotlight on innovation in primary care

We’re delighted to be launching our new Digital Pioneers programme, to support and drive forward digital health ideas and innovations in primary care. In this blog, Emma Richardson, Innovation Manager, reflects on some of the pioneering innovations in the NHS…

Creating and inspiring Digital Champions across the North East and North Cumbria

As part of our Digital Pioneers programme to drive digital innovation in primary care, we’ve launched a new education programme inviting staff across general practice, pharmacy, optometry and dentistry to become Digital Champions within their organisation. Digital Champions is a…

Empowering patients by providing a digital front door for primary care

Digital technology is transforming how patients and health professionals interact. As a result, primary care is moving towards a digital first approach, where patients can easily access the advice, support and treatment they need using digital and online tools.  In…

Innovation in dentistry – improving patient health and access to services

Our Digital Pioneers programme was launched earlier this year to drive forward the development and adoption of digital innovation within primary care in the North East and North Cumbria. Any member of the primary care workforce can have an innovative…

Empowering the primary care workforce to make a positive impact on their working day and improving patient experience

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital technology in healthcare, and patients and healthcare professionals needed to quickly adapt to a more digital NHS. We’ve seen huge benefits to services as a result, but it’s well recognised that support…

Support through innovation for a workforce under pressure

The AHSN NENC Digital Pioneers programme launched in April 2022 and since then, Programme Manager Emma Richardson, has been connecting with colleagues across dentistry, optometry, pharmacy and general practice to help develop a culture of innovation. Emma soon found out…

End of year reflections and festive greetings

Nine months in to our Digital Pioneers programme, our Programme Manager, Rachael Forbister reflects on the achievements to date, and discusses an exciting year ahead. The Digital Pioneers programme aims to drive the development of digital within primary care, to…