Hello, my name is Amy Roberts and I am a Digital Nurse Health Specialist at the Newcastle Hospitals.
I joined the Digital Health team in May 2021 on a 12 month secondment. I quickly recognised the privileged position I was in to be able utilise my wealth of knowledge and experience from previous roles both in acute hospital and community settings to help shape the Digital Health team.
A key responsibility is to ensure all of our digital projects are clinically driven and that clinical practice, supported by digital technology, meets professional standards.
I have a real drive to improve staff workflow which will allow for better time spent delivering outstanding “hands on” care to our patients – which is what we came into the nursing profession to do! This is an exciting time for Newcastle Hospitals and the NHS on a whole.
My digital journey
In 2008 I had my first child at the age of 20 years and in same year I also lost my Mam to cancer.
Both life changing events put a lot of things into perspective for me and I knew I had more to give, which is what motivated me to apply to Northumbria University and pursue my career in nursing.
Since qualifying as a nurse 10 years ago I have worked in theatres, acute surgery and in the community which has ultimately prepared me for the project diversity in Digital Health.
For many people COVID19 changed the way we had to work and in School Health this accelerated the need to use technology to maintain contact with vulnerable children and young people. It was that insight into digital solutions to improve patient outcomes that encouraged me to apply for this nurse specialist role in the wider Digital Health team.
I have been able to use my 10 years of clinical experience to make sure the optimisation of electronic patient records and implementation of digital solutions are safe, effective and fit for purpose.
I feel I am the voice of our clinical workforce to ‘bridge the gap’ between clinical colleagues and IT as I recognise and appreciate the pressures on the floor and feel confident in challenging unrealistic expectations from the wider IT and multi disciplinary team to benefit our staff whilst maintaining patient safety and outcomes.
Contact us
We are here to support all of our staff. If you have any burning issues or would like to get involved in our work we want to hear from you.
Email our Digital Health Team