Dundee students bring fresh insights to improving NHS outpatient care

Published On Tue 31 Mar 2015 by Roddy Isles

Five design students from the University of Dundee’s Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design have been attending an exclusive two-day event in Edinburgh focusing on revolutionising the outpatient experience in NHS Scotland with the support of digital technology.

This is the result of a pilot initiative between the college and the Digital Health Institute (DHI) to involve students in one of their innovation calls and benefit from their fresh thinking.

The Scottish Institute for Enterprise (SIE) has been driving student involvement in this important project.

SIE ran a workshop on 27 February in Dundee bringing together service design students and staff and consultants from the Ear, Nose & Throat outpatient department at Ninewells Hospital.

Attendees worked together on ideas for improving the outpatient experience and were then asked to

submit a personal proposal as to why they should attend. Five students were selected and will actively participate in sessions to explore ideas and attend the formal conference dinner.

Professor Mike Press, Chair of Design Policy at the University, said, “We are delighted to be working with the Scottish Institute for Enterprise on this vital initiative. There is huge potential to focus the creative and enterprising talents of Scotland’s design students and graduates on the challenges facing our nation's health care. SIE is showing great vision in this, and I am sure that it will result in some excellent and innovative ideas.”

Fiona Godsman, CEO of the Scottish Institute for Enterprise continued, “Students are full of great ideas. We see that every day with the fantastic students we support in colleges and universities, who want to start their own businesses or who feel passionately about using the enterprise skills that they have to change things for the better. Gaining access to those working in the private and public sectors allows students to apply their ideas, test their validity and gain real insights into the challenges faced by our businesses today. SIE facilitates this knowledge transfer and enables

students to see that, even as undergraduates, they have a lot to offer."

Notes for Editors

1. The five students who were selected to attend from DJCAD were: Aliza Jameel Ahmed, Rachel

Lees, Amy Lowe, Rebecca Smith and Rachael Walker.

2. All five students attended the DHI event, "Revolutionising the Outpatient Experience", March

30-31, in Edinburgh.

3. The Scottish Institute for Enterprise (SIE)

The Scottish Institute for Enterprise works nationally to promote and support enterprise and

entrepreneurship in Scotland’s students. SIE works with Universities and Colleges to champion

enterprise education and help their students start new innovative businesses. SIE provides free

one-to-to advice, enterprise workshops and business competitions supported by a national team

of Student Interns and business advisors. SIE is supported by the Scottish Founding Council and

Scottish Enterprise.

www.sie.ac.uk

4. Digital Health Institute

Established by NHS24, University of Edinburgh and Glasgow School of Art; the Digital Health

Institute (DHI) intends to co-create sustainable economic growth through new products, services

and systems developed together with businesses, academics, healthcare specialists and citizens.

Its aim is to generate high value health and social care solutions to the benefit of the people of

Scotland and wider. DHI offers a fusion of health, design, technology and business knowledge

from the network of its partners that span health and care providers, third and private sectors,

higher education and business development agencies.

www.dhi-scotland.com