PARTICIPANT SPOTLIGHT
THOMAS JAMES
How Thomas James brought together clinical practice, research and digital transformation through the Digital Leadership Programme.
Senior Physiotherapist & Digital NMAHP
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
The Digital Leadership Programme gave me the structure, knowledge and confidence to develop from someone delivering digital improvement within my own service into a clinician who could contribute more strategically to digital transformation.
Thomas James · Programme participant
Meet Thomas
Thomas James is a Senior Physiotherapist and Digital NMAHP at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, combining more than a decade of clinical experience with interests in research, service improvement and digital transformation.
After graduating from the University of Huddersfield in 2014, Thomas developed broad clinical experience across acute, community and specialist services.
Digital change in practice
It was within community respiratory services that Thomas began to recognise the relationship between digital systems and the quality of care that teams can provide. When he joined the service, many pathways and data processes were paper based. He subsequently led the introduction of digitally enabled workflows across different EPR systems and applications.
This involved much more than replacing paper documentation. Thomas worked with colleagues to redesign triage, booking, clinical documentation and reporting processes, while developing the training, operating procedures and governance arrangements required to implement change safely. During this period there was a significant increase in referrals, patient contacts and a reduction in waiting times.
Thomas has since contributed to digital work across the wider Trust, including respiratory pathways for Hospital at Home and the development of automated Epic reporting for nationally mandated respiratory audits. His work focuses on making better use of information already captured through clinical care, reducing manual administration and giving clinical and operational teams more timely and meaningful data.
Building research capability
Research is another important part of Thomas’s professional development. He helped establish research capability within a clinical team that had no previous research infrastructure and played a central role in the NIHR-funded COPE study. This included securing funding, coordinating organisational and research approvals, working with regional and university partners, and designing the clinical pathways, documentation and governance processes needed to deliver the study alongside core services.
His work has been presented at the Association of Respiratory Nurse Specialists conference and consecutive British Thoracic Society Winter Meetings, with abstracts published in Thorax supplements. In 2025, Thomas was also invited to a House of Commons event focusing on respiratory research and the patient voice. He has subsequently supported colleagues to develop projects, obtain funding and present their own work nationally.
Bringing experience into a leadership framework
Participation in the University of Salford’s digital leadership programme provided an opportunity to bring these areas of his career together. It helped Thomas examine his existing improvement work through the wider lenses of digital leadership, stakeholder engagement, evaluation and sustainable organisational change.
Learning alongside nurses, midwives and allied health professionals also reinforced his belief that NMAHPs bring an essential perspective to digital transformation because they understand both clinical practice and the realities of implementing change.
Looking ahead
Thomas is particularly interested in the space where clinical practice, research and digital transformation meet. He believes healthcare technology should be judged by whether it improves care, supports staff and produces evidence of meaningful benefit, rather than by novelty alone.
Looking ahead, Thomas wants to continue developing within clinical informatics and digital transformation while retaining a strong connection to his physiotherapy and respiratory background. His ambition is to help NMAHP colleagues shape digital systems, build research and evaluation into transformation programmes, and ensure that frontline clinical knowledge influences decisions about the future of healthcare.
In Thomas’ words
“The Digital Leadership Programme gave me the structure, knowledge and confidence to develop from someone delivering digital improvement within my own service into a clinician who could contribute more strategically to digital transformation.”
“As a Senior Physiotherapist, respiratory service lead and Digital NMAHP at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, I had already led significant service redesign using electronic patient records and data. The programme helped me place that experience within a stronger framework for leadership, stakeholder engagement, evaluation and sustainable change.”
“Its greatest value was the combination of academic learning, expert input and a real work-based project. Learning alongside other NMAHP colleagues also demonstrated the contribution our professions can make to digital health when we bring together clinical credibility, curiosity and practical knowledge of frontline services.”
“I would recommend the programme to NMAHP colleagues who want to turn a good improvement idea into meaningful, evidence-informed change and develop the confidence to influence beyond their immediate service.”
Thomas James
Senior Physiotherapist & Digital NMAHP
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