DHCW collaborate with universities to give future nurses insight into digital healthcare system
8 July 2024
Student nurses at universities across Wales are being given the opportunity to gain hands-on experience of an NHS Wales digital nursing system before they go on their first work placements.
The Welsh Nursing Care Record (WNCR) sessions are helping to equip university students with the knowledge and confidence to use the WNCR in a controlled test environment before going into real-life clinical situations.
Interactive sessions are being delivered at Swansea University, Cardiff University, University of South Wales and University of Wales Trinity Saint David, with further sessions to be delivered to more universities across Wales.
WNCR is a digital system designed and built by Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW), in collaboration with all seven health boards across Wales and Velindre University NHS Trust. It enables nurses to complete assessments at a patient’s bedside on a mobile tablet, or other handheld device, saving time, improving accuracy and minimising duplication.
WNCR has captured more than 14.8 million inpatient nursing notes across Wales. It is now used in 312 wards across 51 hospital sites, and that number is growing as the rollout continues.
During the sessions, Beverley Havard, DHCW’s Clinical Informaticist Lead for the WNCR, is guiding student nurses through the system’s features and functionalities, supported by DHCW’s Business Change team.
Beverley previously worked as a registered nurse at Swansea Bay University Health Board for 24 years. Having previously supported student nurses in the clinical environment, Beverley said she wanted to ensure the student nurses gained a basic understanding of the Welsh Nursing Care Record before going on placement.
She added: “The WNCR is available at all health boards in Wales and is an important part of the daily workflow of nursing staff. By introducing student nurses to the system early on in their training, they are better prepared for all aspects of the role.
“It’s been great to work with the students during these interactive sessions, and the feedback has been really positive.
“We are also working with IT teams to give all students their own NHS Wales login so they can access systems more quickly and efficiently on placements and as they start their nursing careers.”