Vision for UKCHIP
Health Informatics comprises the knowledge, skills and tools which enable information to be collected, managed, used and shared safely to support the delivery of healthcare and promote health.
Its principal function is to improve the care given to patients by:
- overcoming fragmentation in care delivery
- embedding quality and safety
- helping to manage costs
The UK Council for Health Informatics Professions is the registration body for health informatics professionals working or aspiring to work in the United Kingdom. UKCHIP's vision is:
That health informatics is recognised as a valued profession in both the public and private health care sectors throughout the United Kingdom.
That all persons in the United ingdom who spend a substantial proportion of their role or time working in health informatics will be registered with UKCHIP and thereby certified as professionals who meet defined standards of professional conduct and competence.
All UKCHIP's activities are directed towards achieving this vision which will enable:
- better patient safety and protection of the public;
- increased public confidence in health advice and information;
- more efficient and effective design, development and delivery of health services.
The value of registration with UKCHIP can be expressed from a number of perspectives:
As a patient or member of the public you will know that:
- your personal information will be held securely and safely, with due regard to your rights to access your own information;
- clinical staff are supported in their use of knowledge, information and ICT systems by certificated professionals;
- ICT and information systems in health are developed, implemented and managed by high quality, competent professionals who have signed up to a professional code of conduct and are staying up to date in their areas of expertise.
As a healthcare professional:
- you can expect to receive support for the effective, safe and timely use of knowledge bases, information and ICT systems from competent professionals who understand both informatics and its application in health.
As an employer of people working in health informatics:
- you will know that your informatics specialists have been assessed independently against agreed national standards and be able to view the open register of certificated informatics professionals;
- you will know that your informatics specialists have signed up to a professional code of conduct and to an annual programme of continuous professional development.
As someone working in health informatics:
- you will be able to demonstrate to your employer, peers and others that you are an informatics professional through your entry on the public register ;
- you will be able to demonstrate that you are fit to practice, abide by a professional code of conduct and ethics and are committed to ongoing and structured professional development in the interests of providing safe, effective and high quality services to support patient care.
