Posted on: 27 March 2026
CNWL’s Digital Impact Fellowship,, a five-month programme designed to equip staff with the skills and confidence to lead digital transformation across services, began on Friday 27 March.
The Fellowship brings together a multidisciplinary cohort of 24 clinical and non-clinical colleagues from across the Trust, all united by a shared goal: to improve patient care, experience and outcomes through meaningful digital innovation.
The first cohort officially began on Friday 27 March in London, with an opening session led by CNWL’s Chief Digital and Information Officer, Doug Stewart, alongside
Jane Dwelly, Vice President at the international digital health organisation CHIME, delivered a keynote that set the tone for the programme.
Her session highlighted the growing importance of digital leadership in healthcare and emphasised the critical role frontline staff play in driving meaningful, sustainable change.
Grounded in user-centred design and the widely recognised “double diamond” methodology, the Fellowship will guide participants through the full digital lifecycle from discovery and problem definition to solution design, testing and delivery. Throughout the programme, fellows will work on real-world challenges drawn from their day-to-day roles, ensuring that solutions are practical, relevant and scalable.
Participants are required to bring forward a digital improvement idea as part of the programme. Following an initial discovery phase, these ideas will be developed and refined before being pitched in a “Dragon’s Den”-style session. Three projects will then be selected for further development, with the wider cohort working collaboratively to deliver impactful solutions.
The programme reflects CNWL’s commitment to embedding innovation at every level of the organisation, recognising that those closest to services are best placed to identify opportunities for improvement.
By the end of the Fellowship, participants will have developed key skills in digital transformation, including user research, co-design, prioritisation, clinical safety and change management. Successful fellows will also receive FEDIP accreditation, with the option to undertake further certification through CHIME.
The Digital Impact Fellowship is fully funded and forms part of CNWL’s wider strategy to harness digital and data to improve care, reduce inequalities and enhance staff and patient experience.
As the programme progresses, it is expected that the cohort’s work will translate into live projects and tangible service improvements, helping to shape the future of digitally enabled care across the Trust.
