Karen Lucas is a Digital Clinical Education Specialist in the Digital Health Team
Hello, my name is Karen Lucas and I am a Digital Clinical Education Specialist within the Trust’s Digital Health Team.
My role focuses on supporting staff to use eRecord confidently and effectively. I deliver education, guidance and practical support that helps colleagues develop their digital skills, improve efficiency and make the most of the systems available to them.
I am passionate about helping staff feel confident when using digital technology and understanding how it can support their day-to-day work. A key part of my role is ensuring colleagues have the knowledge and skills they need to continue delivering safe, effective patient care while adapting to new ways of working.
My approach to digital health is centred on supporting people. I work closely with staff to help them understand and use eRecord effectively, giving them the confidence to embrace digital change and continue providing excellent care for patients.
What I enjoy most about my role is delivering education sessions and seeing the positive impact they have on staff. Watching colleagues grow in confidence and competence with eRecord, and knowing this contributes to better patient care, is incredibly rewarding. I am also involved in supporting the Trust’s Mouth Care Matters assessment work.
My journey into digital health
I joined Newcastle Hospitals in 2008 as a Clerk Receptionist before training and qualifying as a Dental Nurse. Over the years, I have held a variety of roles across the organisation, including Admin Team Lead, Dental Nurse and Dental Nurse Specialist, which gave me valuable experience of both administrative and clinical practice.
My journey into digital health began when I undertook a secondment supporting the Dental Hospital’s move towards becoming more paper-lite. Working with eRecord and helping staff adopt digital ways of working gave me first-hand experience of how technology can improve clinical practice, patient care and service delivery.
Being involved in the implementation of digital processes and supporting colleagues through change sparked my interest in digital health and led me to pursue a career in this area. It also reinforced the importance of ensuring staff feel supported throughout digital transformation programmes.
The opportunity to combine my clinical background with education and digital improvement naturally led me into my current role as a Digital Clinical Education Specialist. Today, I support colleagues across the organisation to develop their knowledge and confidence in using digital systems, helping them adapt to new workflows and ways of working.
What motivates me most is the opportunity to support staff and improve patient care through digital transformation. I enjoy helping colleagues gain confidence in using eRecord and seeing how increased digital knowledge can make their working lives easier and more efficient.
As we continue to develop digital healthcare, I believe it is important to put staff first. Changes to established ways of working can feel daunting, so providing support in classrooms, clinical areas and workplaces is essential. Making sure staff know where to find help and feel comfortable asking for it builds confidence and helps ensure digital change is successful for both colleagues and patients.
Contact us
Our Digital Health team is here to support all of our staff. If you have any burning issues or would like to get involved in our work we want to hear from you.
Email our Digital Health Team
