Spotlight on: Tarandeep Dhillon-Smith, Head of Digital Hospital

As Head of Digital Hospital, Tarandeep Dhillon-Smith leads our ambitious Digital Transformation programme, which contributes towards delivery of our vision to support patient care with state-of-the-art technology.

“The current Digital Transformation programme is rolling out an Electronic Document Management System which allows easier access to patient records, an Electronic observations system to make patient care safer, Clinical Messaging tools for new ways of communicating among staff and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to automate admin tasks, among many other initiatives,” she said.

“Over the next three years, our aim is to roll out an electronic patient record across our Trust and the other acute hospitals, which will enhance patient care by giving clinicians access to the right information at the right time. Patients will also have to tell their story only once as there will be greater information sharing with the primary, community care and mental health partners.”

Tarandeep joined NNUH in February, having previously worked in programme management at Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust. Prior to that, she worked across housing and retail sectors. Originally from Hyderabad in southern India, she graduated from university there with a technical degree in 2004 and worked for a US offshoring company for four years before moving to the UK to study for an MBA at the University of Leeds.

“We had students from 20-plus countries in my MBA course,” she said. “Being part of such a diverse community meant I am aware of the cultural differences and am always considering them when faced with adverse situations in life and the workplace.

“Following my Master’s, I worked for Morrison’s on a multi-million pound transformation programme, which was an excellent role in a very diverse team. The office was open plan and we had people from every continent working together, towards a single goal. It helped me understand how essential it is to be part of a diverse community – and how necessary it is for success in our work and personal lives to be inclusive.

“When I first came to Norwich I found it very different from Leeds and London, as it’s a much less diverse city – but everyone was so welcoming – four people said ‘hello’’ to me before I’d even left the station! I was out of my comfort zone and, while my flatmates were Chinese and Portuguese, 95% of my colleagues were English, so I quickly learned the culture.

“I’m impressed with the way NNUH is working towards making us an inclusive hospital for both staff and patients as a priority and look forward to playing my part in creating the NNUH Together Community.”