Welcome to the Digital Education Team
The Digital Education directorate is at the forefront of training provision and innovation across both the hospital and community services.
Our service approach is to engage with our colleagues and stakeholders to gain an in-depth knowledge about their digital training needs. This in turn allows us to provide relevant learning solutions to support our workforce and ultimately improve the patient experience.
Our vision is to equip and empower a highly skilled digital workforce encompassing technology and innovation aligning to the Trust’s 5-year strategy and to create an uplift of digital skills, knowledge, understanding and awareness accessible to all staff following Health Education England’s Digital Readiness Programme.
The directorate is made up of 3 main services – Digital Training, Digital Learning Design and Health Informatics Workforce Development providing flexible and accessible training and learning opportunities to all staff through a variety of digital blended learning solutions and expertise equipping staff with skills necessary to fulfil their job roles. As we embark on our digital journey supporting the Trust’s ambitious Digital enabling plan our mission is to co-design digital solutions and training programmes with our stakeholders and colleagues across the organisation.
The Digital Training Department (formerly HI Education & Training) are a team of specialist trainers who are skilled in the design and delivery of training courses for new and existing clinical systems. Our role is to develop user friendly learning programmes to equip a diverse workforce with the knowledge, skills and digital awareness as required by a busy healthcare service.
As well as providing training on our clinical systems we Identify digital skills gaps in all areas of our workforce and provide equitable access to digital education to ensure we our workforce feel confident and competent in using our digital solutions.
To cater to the needs of a 24/7 healthcare service we use a blended approach to learning by delivering virtual training courses and by working closely with the Digital Learning Design Team. This gives greater flexibility in how and when training can be completed.
Training Standards Accreditation (TSA)
The Digital Training team have recently been awarded with Gold Status Accreditation from the North West Skills Development Network. This award recognises that as a service we are following best practice and working to standards developed by Healthcare Training Professionals. It is also proof that the quality of our training delivery and all related activities are of a high standard. These standards have subsequently been disbanded nationally and a North West approach has been adopted to implement these standards at a regional level. The team were awarded Silver Status Accreditation from NHS Digital Training Service in November 2018.
Since the COVID pandemic the Digital Training and Digital Learning Design (formerly the eTeam) teams work closely in developing digital learning solutions across Blackpool Teaching Hospitals and other regional NHS organisations.
Our aim is to provide functional, interactive, engaging and accessible e-learning experiences which facilitate staff in maintaining and developing their skillset.
We produce blended learning courses for clinical systems such as HISS, EMIS and Maxims as well as theoretical subject matter such as Fluid Balance and Cannulation and Venepuncture using choosing appropriate delivery methods to suit the requirements. This can be in the form of videos, interactive eLearning and game-based learning.
The HI Workforce Development department was established in 2019 and our aim is to support and develop all staff in the Health Informatics workforce by providing opportunities to develop knowledge and skills to flourish in personal development and career growth journey.
As a team we are keen to ‘Grow Our Own’ talent and enhance the existing highly skilled workforce. Workforce development is about growing in your role and realising your potential. Development is unique to each individual, and we are a team who are passionate about supporting and facilitating career development and progression. We offer a wide range of different paths and resources so that you can choose what works for you.
We are proud to have successfully launched and embedded a skills management system – Career Track, which provides individuals access to their own skills profile for their job role but also access to all skills profiles across Health Informatics. We use Career Track to identify learning needs and we support managers to provide the necessary interventions. Career Track acts as an excellent support to our talent management and our future succession planning agenda within Health Informatics. We also manage the Health Informatics Apprenticeship programmes and Work Experience programmes which are very successful and provide further opportunities to not only new recruits but to our existing staff too.
