Leading with humanity: registered paediatric nurse Joe Rouse’s journey on the Topol Digital Fellowship

When your motivation is to create ‘real change’, transformation feels possible.

This is the driving force behind Joe Rouse, an experienced acute paediatric nurse, emergent clinical digital leader and Topol Digital Fellow.

For him, the Fellowship isn’t about adding a line to his CV, it’s about using digital, design-led tools to improve patient care right now.

From paper trails to digital pathways

This motivation is rooted in experience. In a previous role, Joe’s work on a digital observation tool contributed to a 30% reduction in in-hospital cardiac arrests.

The knowledge that thoughtful design can change patient outcomes is what drives his current project: migrating community first responders from an outdated, paper-based system to a bespoke digital solution.

As Joe notes, paper slows things down, leaves room for error, and is unfamiliar to a new generation of digital-native responders.

To illustrate this, he shared an experience where a new responder filled out 20 sheets of copy paper forms without realising they needed to put a card between the sheets to stop the writing transferring onto all the copies. Let’s be honest, it’s a mistake most digital-natives could make.

A framework for transformation

The Topol Fellowship, especially the TPXimpact user-centred modules, has given Joe the frameworks and validation to tackle this challenge - plus handy Miro templates to reuse.

As the sole experienced clinical informatician in his organisation, he found the programme reassuring.

“It’s validated that the approach I’ve always wanted to take is the right, evidence-based one,” he said.

Creating a ripple effect

This newfound confidence is already having an impact. Joe is embedding new ways of working that are creating a ripple effect across his organisation.

He uses tools like the Double Diamond of design to structure focused, user-centred workshops.

He’s bringing teams together to define the ‘Five W’s’ (who, what, when, where, why), rather than jumping to conclusions. For each ‘W’, he uses the ‘Five Whys’ technique to dig deeper and find the root cause, rather than settle for a surface-level answer. This helps to establish clear, tangible problem statements.

This structured approach prevents projects from becoming a "constant moving tide of demands" and makes sure solutions are built on a solid foundation.

Designing with users, not just ‘for’ them

This impact extends beyond a single project. Joe’s intention is for user-centred methodology to become the standard for how his organisation designs new services. 

As Chair of the National Pre-Hospital Digital Clinical Network, he plans to incorporate these learnings into modules for clinical informaticians across England, scaling the Fellowship’s impact nationwide.

This design work is rigorously tested. Joe and his team will be taking prototypes into simulation labs, working with educators and clinicians to mimic real-life scenarios.

By testing under pressure, they discover what works and what doesn’t, iterating until the solution truly supports users in critical moments.

The end-users, clinicians and responders remain central to the design process, while external partners are kept informed throughout.

Engaging leadership through storytelling

Storytelling is another skill Joe has honed, a talent we saw in action throughout the fellowship.

Knowing that senior NHS leaders juggle countless priorities, he understands a wall of technical jargon will lose their attention.

Instead, he crafts simple, accessible narratives and visuals to demonstrate progress, keeping leadership engaged and supportive.

For Joe, the Fellowship was more than just a course, it was a catalyst for immediate change. He is championing the Topol ethos of designing for people first, ensuring that digital transformation in the NHS is anchored in care, not just code.