I am under the supervision of Dr Chris Plummer, Co-Lead of the Informatics and Precision Care for an Ageing Population research theme within the NIHR Newcastle BRC and Chief Clinical Informatics Officer at Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
My journey at the BRC began in late December 2023, and it has been incredibly rewarding so far. I have been involved in clinical informatics projects, which have allowed me to explore new technologies and their practical applications in improving healthcare.
I am currently involved in three major clinical informatics projects. One particularly interesting project is 'Improving the Ability of the National Early Warning Score (NEWS2) System,' where I have the opportunity to explore the implications of Artificial Intelligence in healthcare. The Great North Care Record programme is a collaboration among health and social care organizations across the Northeast and North Cumbria for sharing patient information. Being involved in this programme has given me valuable insights into the application of Health Information Exchange principles for integrating healthcare systems. The Regional Collaboration System project is a new initiative aimed at ensuring a cohesive and efficient process for referring patients across various specialties and organisations. Through this project, I have gained valuable experience in observing the involvement of different stakeholders and how their contributions have shaped the design and development of the system.
Dr Plummer has also given me the opportunity to work as a clinical observer at Newcastle NHS Foundation Trust. During this time, I had the chance to observe and learn about the Electronic Patient Record system at Freeman Hospital, as well as the closed-loop medication process—an automated system designed to ensure safe drug delivery to patients.
My training at NIHR Newcastle BRC has been made possible through a scholarship funded by the Ministry of Health Sri Lanka. The scholarship has helped me to complete the one-year period of overseas training which is a requirement to be eligible for Board Certification as a Specialist in Sri Lanka.
After completing my training at NIHR Newcastle BRC, I plan to apply the knowledge and skills I have gained to enhance digital health solutions in Sri Lanka. The exposure to cutting-edge clinical informatics technologies and their practical applications will help me to design similar projects tailored to the resource-constrained settings of my country. In the long term, I am confident this experience will enable me to contribute to policy development and capacity building in digital health, advancing Sri Lanka’s healthcare transformation.