New leadership appointment for hospital e-Prescribing and Medicines Administration programme
25 May 2023
Lesley Jones is to lead the biggest change to hospital prescribing and medicines administration in Wales in decades.
Bringing a wealth of experience from more than 30 years in nursing, Lesley has been appointed following interview as Senior Responsible Officer for the Secondary Care ePrescribing and Medicines Administration (ePMA) programme. She will also continue as Head of Nursing for Professional Standards and Digital in Hywel Dda University Health Board, dividing her time between the two roles.
The Secondary Care ePMA programme is part of the Digital Medicines Transformation Portfolio (DMTP) hosted by Digital Health and Care Wales. It brings together four programmes that will deliver the benefits of a fully digital prescribing approach in all care settings in Wales. When introduced, the use of the latest digital technology will make the whole process of prescribing, administering and dispensing medicines in hospitals safer, easier and more efficient.
Lesley began her career in oncology at Velindre University NHS Trust and went on to work at Cardiff University, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and, Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board. She also undertook a 12-month digital fellowship in NHS Improvement England, which confirmed that improving and influencing Wales’s digital story was what she wanted to do.
Passionate about technology for improvement, Lesley will have oversight of the programme and will develop and nurture partnerships with health professionals across NHS Wales and industry suppliers.
Recently, Lesley led on the introduction of the ground-breaking Welsh Nursing Care Record (WNCR) and managed its Service Management Board from inception to business-as-usual.
She said, “I am pleased to have this opportunity to make a difference. As a nurse I have seen how technology can streamline processes and help make patient care safer and easier. Feedback from the WNCR demonstrated a huge appetite for more digital services.
“We are living in exciting times, introducing lasting technology change that takes into account the underlying processes of healthcare and the experiences of staff and of patients.”
As a nurse Lesley sees positive benefits from ePMA including safety, efficiency, audit and better access to information.
“It will end the paper chase when you need a colleague to write a script, help nurses deliver pain relief to patients more quickly, allow easier checks on prescribing patterns and provide information at the touch of the button.”
Professor Hamish Laing, Senior Responsible Owner for DMTP, said, “We are delighted that Lesley has joined us to lead and support the delivery of a digital solution into every ward in every hospital in NHS Wales. Her vast experience across all aspects of healthcare and her knowledge and interest in technology is an ideal combination that will be of huge value to the national ePMA programme and to all the individual organisations who will be implementing ePMA across Wales.”
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