University of Derby

Paula Minchin is an occupational therapist.

Paula graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, with a degree in occupational therapy in 2002 and completed a master's in hand therapy at the University of Derby in 2025.

She has extensive experience in orthopaedics, rheumatology and hand therapy, having worked in Tala University Hospital and currently serves as a clinical specialist occupational therapist in the rheumatology outpatient service at NACE General Hospital.

An accredited hand therapist, Paula is committed to ongoing professional development and is an active committee member of the Irish Association of Hand Therapists and the National Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal OT Advisory Group.

Here we'll explore how we build digital confidence across every level of the workforce, from the front line to the boardroom, and how we ensure that the tools we adopt enhance human judgment rather than just bypass it.

So joining us today, we've got Paul Leach, Head of Human Factors for Rail Safety and Standards Board, Ben Wagner, the Senior Innovation Manager at HS2, and Jenny Clemonstone, Senior Project Manager for the University of Derby.

And Paul can I start with you um technology is is one of those things that we sort of almost think happens on its own isn't it but people have got to be in the middle of this when digital tools and digital change is introduced badly what does that look like?

So you are you are completely spot on that we digital tools need to be designed with people um And ideally you want them designed with people, but then how they also interact with the different systems that frontline staff interact with.

how'd you had training for that yeah so

I'd been so I went to Derby Uni so when it got to a point in teaching bear in mind I'd started working at the school from A-levels

yeah

I obviously hadn't gone and done a degree so when it came to doing teaching qualification I hadn't got that degree so I'd I'd negotiated with the school and said, look, I'll go and do a degree, knowing that I'll come back and be a teacher, will you let me out a day a week, keep me on the same pay, and I'll fund the degree course myself, I'll find a decent uni, ended up going to Derby, an opportunity came up there to work at the football club to do media stuff, Didn't have the commitments as much with my son and things like that at that point.

Hi everyone, I'm Dr Shelby Judge.

I'm a lecturer at the University of Derby and my areas of expertise in classics are sort of in reception and sort of contemporary feminist retellings of Greek myth and I spend a lot of time looking at the women of

Greek myth.

I'm guessing that this play has got quite an interesting woman in it.