Clinical Informatician

Summary

As an experienced Registered Health and Care Professional with a knowledge and interest in information systems, the post holder will champion the needs and interests of the multidisciplinary team, driving the adoption of new ways of working. Collaborating with service delivery teams, they will spearhead the development and implementation of digital and data solutions that enhance patient safety, clinical care and efficiency.

The main responsibilities of the post will be to work as a resource providing expert advice and professional leadership to support the development and implementation of digital and data solutions to assist the delivery of new ways of working to ensure safer patient and clinical care by implementing clinical risk management strategies and frameworks. Primary responsibilities will include providing expert advice and leadership for projects. The role holder will actively contribute to the process mapping of health and care services, designing processes that optimise clinical and care benefits and improvement through digital and data. They will also ensure adherence to standards, quality assurance processes and documentation related to applications and projects.

Work Activity Components

Title	Details
Implementation and controls (IRMG)(Level 4)	Ensures implementation of information, and records management policies and standard practice, ensuring that information is protected, available and accessible, and can be retrieved as required. Complies with all relevant information and data security policies and procedures.
Information assets (IRMG) (Level 4)	Ensures effective controls are in place for internal delegation, audit and control relating to information and records management.
Information risk (IRMG) (Level 4)	Assesses and manages risks around the use of information. Recommends remediation actions as required.
Information transformation (IRMG) (Level 4)	Provides advice on the transformation of information from one format/medium to another, where appropriate.
Modelling and presentation(IRMG) (Level 4)	Provides reports on the consolidated status of information controls to inform effective decision making. Ensures that information is presented effectively for further use by different audiences. Ensures the mapping to raw data is recorded and auditable.
Regulatory compliance(IRMG) (Level 4)	Maintains information assets, record assets and publication assets and the inventory of data.
Strategy, policy, standards and procedures (IRMG) (Level 4)	Ensures that implementation of information handling procedures in accordance with organisational policies and procedures and relevant information and data security regulations.
Data transformation (KNOW) (Level 3)	Is responsible for the definition of how transformation of information from one format/medium to another occurs and assumptions made, and additional data used for the reference data.
Knowledge asset creation (KNOW) (Level 3)	Uses agreed tools, templates and standards to create knowledge assets specifying their value and use and ensuring that automated processes are in place to maintain the asset.
Methods and procedures (KNOW) (Level 3)	Supports the maintenance and implementation of information and knowledge asset handling procedures.
Performance management (KNOW) (Level 3)	Supports changes to work practices to support capture and use of knowledge. Works with teams to embed knowledge as a habit, and reinforce uses of tools and techniques.
Requirements and advice(KNOW) (Level 3)	Liaises with clients/users and content authors to clarify details of knowledge asset, presents finished knowledge asset definition, and catalogues the asset.

Behavioural Skills

Title	Details
Analytical Thinking	Acquiring a proper understanding of a problem or situation by breaking it down systematically into its component parts and identifying the relationships between these parts. Selecting the appropriate method/tool to resolve the problem and reflecting critically on the result, so that what is learnt is identified and assimilated.
Attention to Detail	Applying specific quality standards to all tasks undertaken to ensure that deliverables are accurate and complete.
Interacting with People	Establishing relationships, contributing to an open culture and maintaining contacts with people from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines. Effective, approachable and sensitive communicator in different communities and cultures. Ability to adapt style and approach to meet the needs of different audiences.
Organisational Awareness	Understanding the hierarchy and culture of own, customer, supplier and partner organisations and being able to identify the decision makers and influencers.
Teamwork	Working collaboratively with others to achieve a common goal.

Technical Skills

Title	Details	Depth
Big Data	The discipline associated with data sets so large and/or complex that traditional data processing applications are inadequate. The data files may include structured, unstructured and/or semi-structured data, such as unstructured text, audio, video, etc. Challenges include analysis, capture, curation, search, sharing, storage, transfer, manipulation, analysis, visualization and information privacy.	Familiar with
Business Environment	The business environment relating to own sphere of work (own organisation and/or closely associated organisations, such as customers, suppliers, partners and competitors), in particular those aspects of the business that the specialism is to support (i.e. localised organisational awareness from a technical perspective).	Familiar with
Cloud/Virtualisation	The principles and application of cloud/ virtualisation (including ownership, responsibilities and security implications). Use of tools and systems to manage virtualised environments.	Aware of
Corporate, Industry and Professional Standards	Applying relevant standards, practices, codes, and assessment and certification programmes to the specific organisation or business domain.	Familiar with
Data Handling	The ability to harvest, clean, curate, manage, process and manipulate data in a variety of formats.	Proficient in
Database Software	Software that enables the user to capture, create, populate and manipulate data structures and where appropriate unstructured data.	Familiar with
Information Architecture	Methods, techniques and technologies for ingesting, securing, processing and using data and information within and beyond an organisation.	Aware of
Information Modelling Tools	Using tools (manual or automated) to record the structure, relationships and use of information within an organisation.	Familiar with
Information Retrieval Tools	The application of automated (software) tools that enable selective access to information, or extraction of patterns and knowledge from large amount of data, typically held within some form of database or data warehouse. Also referred to as Data Mining.	Aware of
IT Environment	The IT environment relating to own sphere of work (own organisation and/or closely associated organisations, such as customers, suppliers, partners), in particular own organisation's technical platforms and those that interface to them through the specialism, including those in closely-related organisations.	Familiar with

Other Skills

Title	Details	Depth
Document Management Techniques	Methods and techniques for the organisation, storage and version control of information in both paper and electronic formats.	Aware of
Legislation	Relevant national and international legislation.	Familiar with
Presentation Techniques	Methods and techniques for delivering effective and accessible presentations, either face-to-face or online within various contexts and to a variety of audiences.	Familiar with
Process Improvement Techniques	Methods, tools and techniques to analyse and optimise processes in order to improve the quality of a product or service.	Familiar with
Report Writing Techniques	Methods and techniques for writing clear, accessible and persuasive reports.	Familiar with
Standards Writing Techniques	Principles, methods and techniques for establishing, documenting, and maintaining standards.	Aware of
Techniques for Effective Meetings	Methods and techniques for running effective meetings and for understanding and influencing the roles played by participants.	Familiar with

Training

Title	Details
Data Management	Data management concepts, methods, tools and techniques relating to the planning, development, implementation, administration and curation of data.
Data Visualisation Tools and Techniques	Methods, tools and techniques for data visualisation (e.g. graphic layering and module management) that can provide greater insight from data.
Diversity and Inclusion	Raise diversity in-the-workplace awareness in order to better understand how the world looks through the eyes of people of a different age, race, gender, sexuality, etc, improve communications with people from diverse backgrounds and reduce the levels of unconscious bias in decision-making.
Overview of Knowledge Management	Knowledge management concepts and techniques.

Professional Development Activity (PDA)

Title	Details	PDA Group
Deputising	Standing in for supervisor or manager on a temporary basis during periods of absence.	Broadening Activities
Gaining Knowledge of Activities of Employing Organisation	Developing an understanding of the potentially diverse range of activities (service, governance, administrative, regulatory, commercial, charitable, industrial, etc.) undertaken by the employing organisation.	Increasing Knowledge
Gaining Knowledge of IT Concepts and Techniques	Undertaking study, learning and, where possible, practice in IT concepts and techniques external to own function.	Increasing Knowledge
Job Shadowing and Special Assignments	Undertaking temporary periods or secondments in other roles, particularly those that offer a new perspective on own function or exposure to other environments and cultures.	Broadening Activities
Negotiating and Influencing	Undertaking learning and practice of negotiating with and influencing others.	Developing Professional Skills
Participation in Professional Body Affairs	Taking an active part in professional body affairs at branch, specialist group, committee or board level.	Participation in Professional Activities
Research Assignments	Exploring a topic which is not part of own normal responsibilities and presenting findings to colleagues and/or management	Increasing Knowledge
Team Leadership	Undertaking learning and practice of the skills required to lead teams, including motivation, direction, coaching, delegation, appraisal, counselling and developing others.	Developing Professional Skills

Clinical Informatics Framework

Health & Wellbeing in Practice

Title	Details	Level
Clinical concepts & language	Uses clinical, social, biomedical (including genomics) terminology, language and abbreviations appropriately when contributing to informatics projects and programmes to be able to facilitate accurate and appropriate communication across clinical informatics projects and/or teams.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
Main components	Understands the main components (including clinical audit, clinical risk management, quality assurance, clinical effectiveness and staff development) of the clinical governance framework.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
Monitoring and implementation	Understands how informatics can assist in the monitoring and implementation of healthcare services and standards.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
Care delivery models	Demonstrates an understanding of the UK care delivery models, organisations and governance involved across the care pathway and their inter-relationships (e.g., GP practices, hospitals, ambulance services, care homes, community services) and how they influence the delivery of informatics projects/programmes.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
Information systems	Can identify and address the challenges related to using information systems in the health and social care sector for health care and/or research.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
Initiatives, drivers and constraints	Is aware of the latest initiatives, drivers and constraints affecting health and social care planning and service delivery to make sure that informatics plans are shaped accordingly.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
Health policies	Recognise how UK and international health and social care policies can change and how they impact on system and organisational informatics delivery, strategies and plans.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
Clinical and business processes	Shows knowledge of clinical and business processes, indicators and reported outcomes for healthcare delivery and systems management and their role in the quality assurance of healthcare.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
Informatics strategies	Has knowledge of the UK and international informatics strategy landscape including which organisations develop and deliver them, their similarities and differences and the stakeholders involved in influencing and/or funding them, and how they influence your informatics priorities, strategies and work.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
Informatics in health	Has awareness of the role of health informatics and information systems in the health and social care systems, and understands lessons learned from previous programmes to prevent replicating mistakes, promote best practice and ensure improvement of future informatics project implementations for healthcare practice and/or research.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.

Information Systems & Technologies

Title	Details	Level
IT components	Analyses key information technology components including hardware and software, and how they can be used in health and social care settings.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
Health information systems and technologies	Discusses the range of health information systems and technologies available and how they can be or are used in the delivery of health and social care and research (e.g., medicines management, telehealth, imaging, test requests and reports, electronic patient records, mobile health).	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
System/technology qualities	Understands the qualities of a system/technology and the trade-off between them when developing/deploying them (e.g., maintainability, scalability, performance, recovery).	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
Data, information and workflow models	Applies knowledge of health data, information and workflow models to design and deliver information technology solutions.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
Information system lifecycle	Understands each stage and associated processes of the lifecycle of how an information system is developed including the planning creating, testing and deploying stages, and when clinical engagement is key to a successful informatics project outcome.	2. Understand: Explain ideas or concepts: classify, describe, discuss, explain, identify, recognise, report, select, translate.
Technical and clinical terminology	Has a good working knowledge of technical and clinical terminology and can demonstrate how the effective use of both can lead to a common understanding of an informatics project/programme.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
Stakeholder expectations	Is able to manage expectations of stakeholders and guide prioritisation toward incremental development that is both clinically useful and/or technically possible within the available resources.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
Clinical and business requirements	Is able to clearly and effectively communicate clinical and business requirements to technology suppliers, specialists, helping them understand how to align their solutions to health and social care practices and objectives.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
System problems	Be able to highlight and communicate about problems with information systems to technical groups and provide feedback and information for healthcare professionals.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
Technical solution selection	Is able to contribute to the selection and utilization of appropriate information systems and/or technologies to meet clinical and operational requirements through the evaluation of tender responses.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
Security and privacy	Is able to identify informatics solutions that guarantee data privacy, patient and user confidentiality, security and integrity following current excepted standards.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
Information transmission	Demonstrates knowledge of the range of technology for transmitting information (e.g., messaging between systems) and clinical standards (e.g., standards for structuring clinical information) for information needed to support the creation of interoperable systems and promotes their importance to drive an integrated delivery care model.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
Clinical coding systems	Demonstrates knowledge of the basis, application and limitations of clinical coding systems, terminologies and classifications and understands their purpose in delivering safer health care.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
Health informatics standards	Is able to discuss the appropriate health informatics standards systems including coding systems, data structures, data security and privacy, and system-to-system messaging to enable system interoperability and procurement/design of future systems.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
Security and governance of data	Demonstrates knowledge of the security and governance of data, systems, devices and networks (e.g., Data Security and Protection Toolkit), and is able to use this to contribute to the development of solutions required to manage data.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.

Working with Data & Analytical Methods

Title	Details	Level
Clinical data	Understands what clinical questions can be addressed with different data sources and working with data custodians and others can understand what data is required and the data analytical methods to be used to address the problem and derive insights.	2. Understand: Explain ideas or concepts: classify, describe, discuss, explain, identify, recognise, report, select, translate.
Data quality	Is able to demonstrate how data quality effects analysis, and resulting clinical and healthcare insights, and how important it is to improve to derive maximum potential from its utilisation.	2. Understand: Explain ideas or concepts: classify, describe, discuss, explain, identify, recognise, report, select, translate.
Data techniques	Is aware of the latest techniques (e.g., AI) and their application to healthcare (e.g., imaging and genomics interpretation, clinical diagnostic evaluations, prediction of readmission risk, extracting semantic information from text) and the challenges in deployment and usage of these in health and clinical settings (e.g., population data and algorithmic bias, explainability of results, robust regulation and quality control, metrics vs clinical applicability, ethics and unintended negative consequences).	2. Understand: Explain ideas or concepts: classify, describe, discuss, explain, identify, recognise, report, select, translate.
Health informatics standard	Applies current best health informatics standards for the recording of health data (e.g., classifications, vocabularies) to increase data quality and utilisation for improving healthcare and clinical practice and research	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
Inter-relationships and dependencies	Demonstrates an understanding of the data inter-relationships and dependencies among the various health information systems (e.g., decision support systems, electronic health records, order entry, registries, etc.).	2. Understand: Explain ideas or concepts: classify, describe, discuss, explain, identify, recognise, report, select, translate.
Regulatory guidelines	Explains the ethical, legal and regulatory guidelines to determine the appropriate access, use, disclosure and protection of data to protect patient information and ensure confidentiality and applies them when processing patient data at all times.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.

Enabling Human & Organisational Change

Title	Details	Level
Patient safety risk	Appraises patient safety risk in the design and development of information systems and technologies and ensures that all risk is assessed and managed appropriately to minimise or avoid harm.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
Best practice in informatics enabled change	Engages with identifying best practice in informatics enabled change across settings and look at translation to a local setting.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
Patient resources	Appreciates the range of patient resources providing information on healthcare interventions, public health and engaging with the patient and technology used to deliver it (including the quality of information, type and assessment) to inform patients' decision-making.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
Patient access	Demonstrates understanding of the latest developments in patient access to health records and the implications this has on the nature of relationship between healthcare professionals and patient.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.

Decision Making & Leading Informatics Teams & Projects

Title	Details	Level
Clinical knowledge types	Demonstrates an understanding of the different types of clinical knowledge and their sources from across the health system and how they can be applied to make clinical and operational decisions.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
Clinical decision making risk and mitigation	Is able to lead discussions about risk assessment and mitigation, and validation of a decision support system.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.

Leading Informatics Teams and Projects

Title	Details	Level
Project management methodologies	Has awareness of project management and change management methodologies, tools and techniques considering factors (e.g., team-working and governance, resources, project planning, business cases, monitoring and reporting) and is able to apply them to informatics projects/programmes.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
Project planning	Is able to contribute to project planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of informatics projects, ensuring that programme/project goals remain aligned to clinical and operational objectives where appropriate, to increase project/programme success.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
Project risk	Is able to recognise when an informatics project/programme is not going according to plan, and can appraise benefits, risks for continuation, change of direction or stopping, and can communicate these through appropriate governance structures.	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
Project communications	Adapt an appropriate communication style to be able to distil information to deliver key messages to address a range of audiences and stakeholders (e.g., organisational boards, project teams, other healthcare professionals).	3. Apply: Use information in new situations: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.
Stakeholder influence	Have awareness of stakeholders influencing development and funding of clinical informatics projects and/or programmes at local or national level.	2. Understand: Explain ideas or concepts: classify, describe, discuss, explain, identify, recognise, report, select, translate.

The Professional Body Responsible for this job family is BCS. This job role profile was created in collaboration with BCS, using Role Model Plus.