Treading the Learning Path

Find out how ILX Group in partnership with Sussex Health Informatics Service created unique learning pathways to support the delivery of enhanced front-line patient care through learning technology

Project Client Industry Challenge Solution

The Sussex Health Informatics Service (HIS), an NHS organisation Sussex, UK Healthcare Sussex HIS provides IT and associated services to NHS member organisations across Sussex. The largest HIS in the UK, Sussex HIS has 400 staff and 25,000 end users over 17 sites across the county. To enable the training team to meet the increased demand for PRINCE2, project management and MSP programme management training for staff by delivering next generation e-learning. A flexible digital learning solution that allowed courses to be delivered online via ILX Groups Best Practice Portal, creating a true learning organisation.

Background
In the NHS, IT plays a major role in delivering better services and ensuring that patients get the best possible care. In order to accelerate the delivery of IT systems to the NHS, The Department of Health introduced the National Programme for IT (NPfIT). Sussex Health Informatics Service (HIS) was established in 2004 to provide effective Information Management and Technology (IM&T) services and to facilitate the implementation of the NPfIT across Sussex. By the very nature of its remit, the highest standard of staff training has always been at the heart of Sussex HIS. ILX were already the trusted digital learning provider of the organisation when, in 2006, demand for staff training increased sharply and the training team began to experience limitations with its existing training provision. Wendy Dearing, senior lead for training, change & process continuity, and head of Education Training Development (EDT) for Sussex HIS said; We were using approximately 40 individual learning disks from ILX to provide staff with PRINCE2 training across several sites. However, as demand for PRINCE2 training rose at the same time as the need to provide generic project and programme management skills to staff, we felt that the system needed to be improved. As demand outstripped supply we had the undesirable situation of people having to wait for training, and there was also the cost and inconvenience associated with scheduling large training sessions for staff based throughout the county. However, the EDT team at Sussex HIS felt that their largest issue was that the existing training system did not allow a central view of staff progress. Each learner had to report progress manually before attending an on-site PRINCE2 Foundation exam. We recognised that the key to enhancing the quality and scope of our training provision was to gain central visibility of the access, progress and performance of our 400 staff, continued Dearing. Sussex HIS approached ILX with their requirements and the company proposed that training be delivered through the ILX Group Best Practice Portal.

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The Solution
The Best Practice Portal is a centrally hosted software platform that provides access to ILXs best practice digital learning courses to staff in any location as long as there is an internet connection. From an initial commitment of 100 best practice courses in the portal, Sussex HIS were quick to realise the benefits of the new system, and added an additional 200 courses just three months later.

The ILX Best Practice Portal The Best Practice Portal offers a range of fully accredited project, programme and IT service management training, aimed at all levels of students to access on demand any time. The portal is available to ILX customers through an annual licence based on the number of access keys purchased. This pricing structure gives customers flexibility when purchasing the licence as there is no restriction on which course titles will be used. Learning Pathways to Project Management ILX digital learning courses delivered through the Best Practice Portal immediately addressed the issues that Sussex HIS training team had been experiencing.

We were able to gain a central view of staff progress through the portals reporting function, immediately offer wider access to more training courses and save money through using different licences and packages concurrently. Wendy Dearing, head of Education Training Development (EDT) for Sussex HIS

We were able to gain a central view of staff progress through the portals reporting function, immediately offer wider access to more training courses and save money through using different licences and packages concurrently, said Dearing. The portal framework also enabled Sussex HIS to increase the quality of its training and service to staff. We have been able to create a unique learning pathway to project management. We stipulate that our staff must achieve the APM Introductory Certificate (APMIC) before progressing to PRINCE2 Foundation, and finally to the Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) Foundation. This approach ensures that they can offer sound project management skills and methodology to support front line NHS carers in delivering enhanced patient care, continued Dearing. Supporting Staff Progression ILX digital learning courses not only help ensure that Sussex HIS staff are effective, but also support their development. Courses are used to provide staff with competencies that are a requirement of the mandatory Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF), a structure that supports personal development and career progression within the NHS. If there is a gap between the skills or knowledge that an individual needs for a position either their current one or one they hope to progress to then we can quickly and easily deliver training to that individual, in their own time, at their own pace and at their own desk, said Dearing. When staff sign up for a digital learning course, they are given a provisional date for an exam which is held locally. This ensures that staff are focused on the end result and motivated to complete the training within the given time frame. As the learning administrators can access and review how staff are progressing with their training, they can ensure that staff are given the level of support required. The portal framework has enabled us to tailor our training for the individual. We can provide timely support where it is needed, and also enable staff to progress more quickly through the training, continued Dearing. Testing Times Delivering a wider range of ILX best practice digital learning courses through the portal has proven popular with staff.

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The ILX courses are very user friendly, and we have received a lot of positive feedback. Staff particularly value the wider course offering, the levels of support and the fact that they can learn at their own pace and revisit certain areas if they are unsure, said Dearing.

The training team at Sussex HIS also conducted an internal survey to measure the effectiveness of the new system. The survey showed that that Wendy Dearing, our pass rate was still as high as it had been with the classroom-based head of Education Training Development (EDT) for Sussex HIS approach, even though more people were accessing training and we were offering a wider range of courses. It was a win-win situation for us; our staff had taken really well to the new training approach and we maintained our high pass rate standards, continued Dearing.

The ILX courses are very user friendly, and we have received a lot of positive feedback.

Our staff have taken really well to the new training approach

The Outcome

Not only did ILX support Sussex HIS in improving the quality of its staff training, but ILXs flexible, online digital learning courses are also projected to save the organisation a significant amount in training costs. These savings can be reinvested to further improve Sussex HISs training provision.

Sending our staff on three-day best practice courses was using a significant amount of our budget, and we felt that money could be best invested in improving the scope of training that we offered. Also, there was the issue of lost productivity, which is harder to quantify. We had begun to address these issues by invigilating our own exams, but even so, sending staff off-site was still a problem. Via the ILX Best Practice Portal, Surrey HIS can now deliver a significantly enhanced training provision to its staff for a fraction of the cost. While cost was not a driver for implementing the ILX Best Practice Portal, the cost savings have been a huge bonus, especially to an NHS organisation such as ours, said Dearing. Sharing the Good News Sussex HIS is now offering its digital learning courses via the ILX portal to its two neighbouring HIS in Kent and Surrey. Although separate organisations, they share a close working relationship, and Sussex plans to increase the amount of courses it offers to Kent and Surrey in future. The ILX portal has provided us with a way to deliver the benefits of e-learning to our partner organisations, enabling us to share both best practice and cost savings. This is excellent practice; after all, if we in the informatics service dont fully embrace new forms of learning, how can we expect anyone else in the NHS to? said Dearing. Eddie Kilkelly, chief operating officer, ILX Group plc said; There is a compelling business case for using best practice digital learning courses and Sussex HIS provides a great example of this. Not only did they solve the immediate problems they had with visibility of staff progress, but actually enhanced the standard and scope of their learning programmes while saving significant funds. Were really proud to have been involved in that process. Dearing concludes; Delivering best practice digital learning courses via the ILX portal have enabled us to create a learning organisation that will have a direct impact on delivering enhanced patient care. We have embedded pathways to project management, career progression and quality assurance into our training provision, improving the quality and service to our staff. We now have central visibility of the access,

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progress and performance of our 400 staff, based over 17 sites. Access to courses is improved, our pass rate is just as high, and we have made significant cost savings. I couldnt have envisaged a more successful outcome.

About Sussex HIS

Sussex Health Informatics Service is an NHS membership organisation whose priorities and objectives are defined in partnership with our members. We are the largest Health Informatics Service in the UK in terms of user base. We provide a full suite of IT services as well as governance, project management, training, change management and strategy for all NHS trusts in Sussex and the surrounding area. Our team is based across our customer sites and supports over 36,000 users. Find out more about Sussex HIS services here

About ILX Group

ILX is a world leading accredited provider of professional business technology-led learning and consulting services. We offer best of breed accredited courses in PRINCE2, MSP, MoP, M_o_R as well as ITSM courses such as ITIL and BCS Professional Certifications. ILX Group provides innovative solutions for organisations and individuals to get the best out of learning, as well as helping companies improve organisational capability. We have delivered learning products and services to over 5,000 organisations across more than 100 countries, including those in local and national government, public sector and commercial businesses in almost all sectors. Our vision is to transform the way people learn and we create formal and informal learning products, utilising our digital expertise to develop interactive multimedia e-learning, m-learning, games, mobile apps and other associated learning and assessment tools, as well as employ innovative technology in the classroom. Find out more about ILX Group products and services here

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