Lord Darzi’s review into the future of the NHS calls for a “tilt towards technology” to unlock greater productivity.
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But there’s a hard reality: many parts of the NHS aren’t yet ready to take advantage of what tech has to offer. Meaning, there’s a missed opportunity for trusts to streamline operations and transform care.
Only one in five NHS organisations are considered “digitally mature”. And despite lots of progress in the last decade, there are still areas of the NHS relying on paper and non-digital processes.
It makes embracing new technologies, such as AI, feel like an unattainable goal – one that goes beyond moving the health service from analogue to digital.
As we enter this new era for the NHS, data and digital skills across the workforce will be fundamental to improving patient care, streamlining processes, and making cost savings.
The case for upskilling in the NHS
Why should a consultant anaesthetist care about data skills? You might not immediately think it’s important.
But when we show how understanding patient data supports positive patient outcomes, the story changes.
Data and AI skills can support better decision-making, automate routine tasks and even enable innovation from within teams – outcomes that are relevant for roles across each trust.
Being data-driven moves the health service away from a reliance on “gut feeling” when making decisions. So, the information NHS staff work with becomes more meaningful – with the opportunity to save millions in costs.
With more than 1,500 learners across 95 NHS trusts and arm’s-length bodies, Multiverse’s digital, data and AI training programmes have so far unlocked £10m in savings over six months. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Building on a skills foundation to boost productivity
Data and AI skills have to be embedded into every layer of trusts in order to deliver the lasting impact the health service needs.
Looking at skills holistically will improve data maturity and, in turn, AI readiness.
Assessing the levels of data maturity in the workforce will help NHS trust leaders understand their current skill gaps and opportunities for growth. Tailored learning programmes can then align with the goals and objectives of the transformation strategy.
Aligning skills requirements with strategic workforce planning processes creates a solid foundation – making skill gaps easier to spot and solve.
Importantly, providing upskilling through the levy, combined with applied learning, means people can learn on the job – making a stronger link between the training and how it impacts their day-to-day. After all, what’s the point of learning new skills if they can’t be applied directly into your role?
North London Foundation Trust (NLFT), for example, needed to reset its company culture around technology. To make this happen, the trust provided an upskilling programme, delivered by Multiverse, to improve data literacy across its workforce and improve productivity.
One learner used the analytical skills gained in the Digital Academy to pinpoint bottlenecks in one department’s discharge process. By employing data visualisation techniques using Power BI, he could effectively illustrate the issues, reducing the number of active patients awaiting assessments from 25 to one within nine months.
Engaging staff for a future-fit NHS
Improving the data and AI skills of NHS staff can create opportunities across the service. From improving patient outcomes to automating routine tasks, freeing up time and even enabling innovation from the inside.
The results from our digital, data and AI programmes show what’s possible. We see NHS workers saving on average seven hours a week – just from improving their data skills.
Today, the NHS can take advantage of the levy – a strategic funding pot for trusts to deliver applied learning that upskills the workforce at scale and at no extra commercial cost.
Levy-funded training is an ideal way to harness the talents of NHS workers to effect positive change – helping every employee gain the skills and confidence to support the digital evolution of the NHS.
Multiverse is empowering every NHS employee to unlock innovation and improve patient care through our applied learning programmes.
Discover how we can partner with your organisation to deliver upskilling at scale and deliver the transformative promise of digital technology and AI: multiverse.io/healthcare
