She's the Lead Local Clinical Safety Officer (Integrations & Decommissioning) for the Norfolk & Waveney University Hospitals Group. But what does that mean? We asked Marisol to explain what she does and how she reached this point.
We have nurses, midwives, physios and OTs in the EPR team, but Marisol brings something different – she originally trained as a veterinary surgeon. Now with a PhD in Public Health, she has worked in clinical safety since 2020 - and has a finely tuned risk radar.
Marisol helps keep NHS digital projects safe by supporting risk management. As the safety watchdog for the move to the EPR, managing the risks of moving from old software, Marisol makes sure patient data is secure, accessible and not corrupted when out-of-date software is turned off.
It’s also about ensuring safe integration with existing systems which will remain when the EPR is switched on. Working alongside other Clinical Safety Officers across the Group, Marisol has to spot risks before they cause problems.
Her role also involves ensuring that while Group staff are all working to the same high standards, the safety plan fits the specific needs of each local site.
“If colleagues have questions, uncertainties or potential hazards to explore, they can contact me via Teams or email, or schedule a call if preferred,” says Marisol.
Interested in knowing more?
Marisol explains some of the specifics of her role as Lead Local Clinical Safety Officer.
What does safe decommissioning involve?
When a system is retired, we assess:
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what clinical information it contains
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what must be migrated, archived or made accessible
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risks associated with switching off the system
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continuity of access for clinicians
The aim is to ensure that no essential clinical information is lost or inaccessible.
What is Integration Safety?
Many existing systems will continue to interface with the new EPR. My work includes assessing:
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the safety of data flows between systems
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whether information arrives accurately and reliably
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risks created by mismatches, delays or incomplete data
Explain Clinical Data Repository (CDR) and Data Migration
Marisol provides clinical‑safety oversight for:
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data migration into the CDR
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ensuring migrated data remains accurate, complete and clinically usable
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identifying hazards such as missing, duplicated or incorrectly mapped data
How This Relates to Other CSO Roles
CSOs working with the EPR design and build teams focus on ensuring that new workflows are clinically safe.
We work in parallel as part of a single CSO group, covering different parts of the programme but contributing to the same safety framework.
But how do they identify risks?
We apply the NHS Clinical Risk Management Standards (DCB0129 and DCB0160) and the NHS Clinical Safety Strategy. These provide the national framework for identifying hazards and ensuring mitigations are in place.
Risk identification includes:
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structured hazard workshops
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workflow and integration reviews
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analysis of data flows and system dependencies
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assessing change impacts when systems are retired or connected
This ensures risks are identified early and managed appropriately.
What if I am concerned about clinical safety or risks?
Clinical safety work is most effective when potential risks are identified early. If colleagues become aware of a possible safety concern - for example, a data‑migration issue, an integration behaviour that doesn’t look right, or a risk associated with retiring a system - the first step is to record it in the hazard log. We can then review it together to understand the context, assess the impact and determine whether it relates to decommissioning, integration, data migration or another part of the programme.
Where appropriate, issues may also be managed through the Circle Case process, in line with the programme’s agreed policy. I can advise on when this is needed and how it aligns with the clinical safety standards.
If colleagues have questions, uncertainties or potential hazards to explore, they can contact Marisol via Teams or email, or schedule a call if preferred.