This document discusses co-designing professional networks for nurses in Bradford City, UK. It outlines the current situations of three potential networks: 1) a new nurses network with variable attendance, 2) an established practice managers' network, and 3) the potential for a new data quality leads network. The document explores how social networking tools like LinkedIn could support expanding these professional networks by improving sharing of knowledge, workload, and expertise in order to strengthen members' voices and professional development through mentoring and reduced isolation. Workshops were planned to help co-design a help seeking tool to meet the nurses' network needs.

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Learning Layers
Scaling up Technologies for Informal Learning in SME Clusters
Help us to Design your Nurses
Professional Network!
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Workshops
• Workshop 1: Professional Networking benefits
and existing tools
• Workshop 2: Help Seeking – Co-designing
your own professional network – Phase 1
• Workshop 3: Help Seeking – Co-designing
your own professional network – Phase 2
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Learning Layers
Project
Consortium
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Project Coordination
Technology Research
Regional Application Clusters
Scaling Partners
Technology Partners
Health Care – Leeds
Construction &
Building – Bremen

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Healthcare Cluster
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Co-design activities
Bradford City GP Practices

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Nurses Forum
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Paula asks others for
information and advice
Current Situation
 New network in Bradford City
 Regular face to face meetings – variable attendance
 Small number of active members
 Little communication and sharing between Nurses by email
 Small number of Nurses in each GP practice
 Can lead to feelings of isolation
 Make it hard to attend training or network meetings (GP practice dependence on
Nurses)
Your aims
 Support and expand this new group – ideally making it self-supporting
 Improve sharing – questions, knowledge, expertise and concerns/support
 Explore potential for mentoring within the network
 Use the group to help support your professional development
 Strengthen the voice and impact of Nurses in practices – help to be heard

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Practice Managers Network
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Paula asks others for
information and advice
Current Situation
 Well established network in Bradford City
 Small but effective core group of members
 Monthly face to face meetings
 Good use of email to share questions/answers & information
 Facing common problems
Your aims
 Expand the group
 Improve sharing – workload, knowledge, expertise
 Strengthen the voice and impact of the network within the CCG

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Data Quality Leads
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Paula asks others for
information and advice
Current Situation
 No existing network
 Hard to find out who does similar role in different practices
 Not all practices have this post
 Can feel quite isolated, although likely to be tackling problems
common to all practices
 Hard to get good practice shared
Possible aims
 Establish a network
 Set up sharing – workload, knowledge, expertise

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How can social network technologies
support professional networks?
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Paula asks others for
information and advice

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Social Technologies Today
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Source:
http://www.mckinsey.
com/insights/high_tec
h_telecoms_internet/
the_social_economy

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Social Networking Tools
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Paula asks others for
information and advice
64% adult internet users in UK* said they had a social
networking profile
* http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/research/media-literacy/adult-media-lit-
13/2013_Adult_ML_Tracker.pdf (OFCOM 2013:4)

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Social / Professional Networking Tools
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Paula asks others for
information and advice

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Professional Networking Tools
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Main Benefits:
Build on and expand your professional networks
Get advice or support from others in the network
Share the workload
Spread knowledge
Improve practice

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Workshop 1
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By the end of the workshop, you will have:
Created a professional profile
Used the tools for building networks
Connected with other professionals
Ask questions or created/joined discussions
Explored the main features of LinkedIn
Started to explore and discuss what you would
want from a Help Seeking tool to support your
Nurses network

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Workshop 1
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Activities:
 Tell us about your current experience:
http://goo.gl/ICN1wN
 LinkedIn
 Give us your feedback on LinkedIn and let us know what
you want from the HelpSeeking tool: http://goo.gl/20WD7B
 Discussion

16. http://Learning-Layers-euhttp://Learning-Layers-eu
Learning Layers
Scaling up Technologies for Informal Learning in SME Clusters
Thank you!
Next workshop: 20th May 2014
Help us to Design your Nurses Professional
Network!
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