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E-learning

John Rogers, chief executive of Skills for Health, examines the cost benefits and efficiencies of e-learning training courses in the healthcare industry.

A recent report issued by the BBC asked the question: ‘How many staff does the NHS need?’ 

The report is highly topical, exploring the pressures faced by the NHS in managing its workforce and planning for a future that looks set to deliver rising patient demand. It also provides a timely cause for reflection on the scale of the ‘operation’ and the workforce needed to keep it moving effectively. 

In 1948, the NHS employed 144,000 staff; now there are around 1.4m – 10 times that amount. 

As the CEO of Skills for Health, an organisation focused on improving the skills and training across the healthcare workforce, I firmly believe that skills development is fundamental to the issue of more effective delivery across the NHS. While there are undoubtedly areas in which recruitment will be of benefit, one possible resolution to improving service delivery in the NHS is to drive up skills in the current workforce. However, with the NHS already investing £5bn a year in education and training, and increasing pressure on budgets across the board, how can organisations continue to make training a priority? In that sense, it’s not hard to see the appeal of e-learning as a cost-effective solution for time-pressed healthcare staff and HR management teams tasked with navigating the training landscape. 

High-quality and flexible e-learning is a cost-effective alternative to traditional forms of learning and can ensure that an organisation maintains a safe, competent and legally compliant workforce. Keeping staff abreast of legislative changes and policy updates in order to maintain a safe service and ensure they are equipped to meet patient needs is vital. As such, Skills for Health constantly develops and updates course content and support to learning. Courses are mapped directly to the Core Skills Training Framework (CSTF) where appropriate and have applicable accreditation and support. 

The new suite of e-learning courses designed to support the Care Certificate is a great example of our ability to respond to topical issues and new national training requirements. Launched in April 2015, the Care Certificate heralds the beginning of a new era in the training, learning and skills development of the health and social care support workforce. Skills for Health now offers a carefully designed programme of e-learning courses containing all the key elements for staff to develop and maintain their clinical skills. 

More widely, the breadth of courses on offer from Skills for Health allows senior management to maintain accurate records of core learning whilst ensuring their teams meet compliance reporting targets. Being able to access e-learning via one of the largest moodle platforms in Europe makes it simplistic to evaluate the impact of training. 

Well-structured and educationally robust e-learning provides the opportunity for people to learn in their own time, at their own pace and on a one-to-one basis. To meet the demands of the modern workforce, e-learning is also accessible remotely, 24/7, so staff can work on training when it is suitable for them – reducing the restrictions of fixed sessions. 

Skills for Health is the number one provider of e-learning to the UK health sector, with a particular focus on statutory and mandatory e-learning training which is compliant with the Core Skills Training Framework (CSTF). Our e-learning courses have had over 500,000 completions per year in the NHS alone. 

All of this provision comes at a cost, but Skills for Health has managed to keep the costs for e-learning extremely low with significant discounts for bulk purchases. The benefits to an organisation of a well-trained, flexible workforce, providing high-quality patient care can easily offset any upfront cost of training. 

In healthcare today there are a range of training options available and many regions have their own learning platforms. However, at Skills for Health we are committed to evolving and developing our range of e-learning to meet current demand to improve training in the healthcare sector, as well as helping employers successfully manage workforce development and change over the coming years.

A few of the courses provided by Skills for Health 

• Conflict Resolution
• Communication
• Dementia – Stand By Me
• Equality, Diversity & Human Rights
• Fire Safety
• Five Infection Prevention courses
• Food, Nutrition and Hydration
• Health, Safety & Welfare
• Moving and Handling
• Personal Health Budgets
• Personalised Care Planning
• Privacy & Dignity
• Safeguarding Adults
• Safeguarding Children

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