Sharing the learning – digital innovation in health & social care
There are two things in particular about Twitter that appeal to me: firstly, I love how I can make connections with others in ways which side-step barriers of time and space; secondly, I enjoy seeing the fruition of those connections – new ideas, support and even projects that occasionally emerge. Digital Innovation in Healthcourses grew from just such a connection I made with digital consultant, Abhay Adhikari , over twelve months ago, initially through the #DigiHealthCon event organised by Claire Jones and then followed up in person. I’m incredibly grateful to Becky Malby and the Centre for Innovation in Health Management for supporting and partnering with us on this adventure, giving us invaluable advice and helping us extend our reach further. The aim for our Digital Innovation in Health courses is to engender a similar experience to that which I describe above – bringing people working in health and social care together to learn the basics, think about their digital identity and take advantage of the potential of social media for both professional development and in day-to-day practice – making the connections. We have free spaces for people who are keen to use social media in a personal capacity to connect with others who have similar experience of, for instance, long term conditions. There are also courses for people working corporately in involvement, communications and strategic roles to develop how they use social media at an organisational level. But this is only the beginning – already conversations are developing about how we can use Digital Innovation in Health as a hub for people to share learning and collaborate –...#DigitalMH13 – who’s up for co-creating digital innovation in mental health?
Digital Innovation in Mental Health flyer The sort of events I enjoy most are ones that unfold organically, with minimal structure and maximum opportunity for people to share ideas, discuss challenges and come up with solutions together – even better if we can max out social media to engage with people before, during and after the event itself. For me this approach is based on an assumption that the answers are in the room, and the stimulus of bringing people together in a way which enables them to be resourceful, helps innovations to emerge. It works particularly well when focusing on digital innovation because if reflects the messiness, the haphazardness and the gems of connections that digital spaces routinely afford. I recently went to an event which was entire opposite of this. Even though it was about digital innovation in healthcare – panel of ‘experts’ with a passive audience speaking through the chair – I was bored within moments. I couldn’t even bring myself to tweet from it. The idea for this event came from a chance meeting with Charlie Young, whose company Transform has been working with the Department of Health on the Digital First agenda. I like the fact that the event has also emerged from a haphazard connection and a synergy of interest and enthusiasm. Cue our digital innovation in mental health event on 20 June in London – I envisage it being everything about the former experience and nothing of the latter – bringing a diverse group of people together with common interests and a common goal: sharing questions, ideas and experiences about how digital can support people...about.me
Victoria Betton
victoria betton
director mHabitat | NHS | social media & mental health doctorate | interested in digital inclusion | parma violets fiend | http://codesigndigitalhealth.co.uk
