Fiona Mills started her career as a paediatric nurse and spent several years working in clinical practice. She progressed to the role of Paediatric Advanced Nurse Practitioner, gaining experience in Paediatric and Neonatal Surgery in Oxford.

Fiona’s Career and Background

Fiona’s interest in digital began when she led the implementation of Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration (EPMA) at the Children’s Hospital in Oxford, shortly after completing her prescribing qualification. This project helped to start her journey into digital, and she soon became an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) lead for the hospital.

Shortly after, Fiona moved into a divisional digital nurse position. In this role, she supported multiple specialities with digitisation, working closely with clinical teams in order to shape digital systems from a nursing perspective. Her growing expertise led to her appointment as Deputy CNIO in Oxford. She joined Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust in 2024 as CNIO, continuing her leadership in digital transformation.

Day-to-Day

Fiona currently plays a key role in implementing the organisation’s digital strategy. Day-to-day, she focuses on system upgrades, process improvements and digitisation of systems across the organisation.

Within her current role, Fiona consistently ensures that clinical voices are central to digital decision-making. Her work typically involves aligning technical developments with the needs of frontline staff, ensuring that patient safety is at the centre of the digital programme.

Rewarding Moments at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust

The recent CareFlow EPMA go-live at Buckinghamshire proved to be a rewarding experience in Fiona’s career. One of the key reasons for this was how she noticed nurses who had felt nervous about the transition gained confidence and adapted quickly. Fiona retold that one nurse, who administered the first digital drug in the system, expressed pride in the achievement.

Fiona also shared similar experiences with the implementation of BadgerNet Maternity. She witnessed first-hand individuals who had doubted their digital abilities to become confident users and strong advocates for the system. This transformation, supported by effective training and 24/7 assistance, highlighted the importance of having the right people on the ground to support clinical teams.

She credited the success of these implementations to strong teamwork across departments and consistent support for staff. Ensuring that clinical areas received the help they needed, day and night, made a significant difference to the experience of frontline teams.

Fiona’s Advice to Others

Fiona encourages clinicians with an interest in digital to explore opportunities in the field. She believes that combining clinical experience with a passion for digital innovation creates a strong foundation for success. She recommends speaking with local CNIOs, exploring available courses and getting involved in digital projects wherever possible.

She also emphasised that genuine interest is essential. She believes that individuals who are able to thrive in digital roles tend to be the people who enjoy problem-solving, collaboration and driving important change. She also stresses that while digital roles offer exciting opportunities, these specific roles require high levels of commitment and lots of enthusiasm for both clinical care and digital transformation.

Future Plans

In the future, Fiona aims to improve clinical documentation to support holistic, patient-centred care. With the NHS’s ten-year plan and the shift towards community-based services, Fiona sees a growing need for seamless information sharing between hospital and community settings. She aims to ensure that care plans and documentation are accessible to professionals outside the hospital, such as district nurses and GPs.

Fiona believes that future digital developments must always consider the patient journey beyond the hospital. She is committed to ensuring that systems support safe, effective care in the community, and that documentation should reflect the patient’s needs.

Fiona is a standout example of how digital innovation and clinical leadership can come together to drive meaningful change in healthcare. Fiona goes above and beyond to ensure that she plays a pivotal role in shaping strategy, fostering collaboration, and is paving the way forward for integrated care.

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