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Case study: Developing IT training skills in Trent Strategic Health Authority

In this case study Kate Marsden of Trent Strategic Health Authority highlights the role that the SHA is playing in funding the development of IT training skills.

Marsden is promoting the Trainer Assessment Programme (TAP) from The Training Foundation throughout the SHA to help address the training challenges posed by programmes being delivered by the new Department of Health agency NHS Connecting for Health.

Trent Strategic Health Authority (Trent SHA) serves the three East Midland counties of Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire with a combined population of 2.7 million people and a total NHS budget of £2.5 billion.

Trent is diverse and covers the rural areas of the Peak
District National Park in Derbyshire and the sparsely populated communities in Lincolnshire, together with the more densely populated, multi-cultural cities of Nottingham and Derby.

Trent SHA is funding the development of IT training skills throughout the Trent area in order to address the training challenges of the National Programme for IT (NPfIT).

NPfIT is being delivered by the new Department of Health agency NHS Connecting for Health. The initiative aims to bring modern computer systems into the NHS to improve patient care and services.

Kate Marsden is the E-Learning and Health Informatics Network Lead for Trent Strategic Health Authority and works with the IT Training departments across Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.

Marsden is promoting the Trainer Assessment Programme (TAP) from The Training Foundation throughout the SHA.

"TAP provides the skills framework which trainers use in training preparation and delivery," said Marsden. "This means that whilst our trainers are from different backgrounds and can have different specialist qualifications, we can be sure that they can meet a consistent quality standard for the facilitation of IT training.

"For example, The North Derbyshire Health Informatics Service (non-acute) provides health informatics education and training to three Primary Care Trusts, as well as servicing other healthcare organisations within the local health community.

"North Derbyshire HIS decided to enrol their staff in the Trainer Assessment Programme in order to implement a consistent quality framework for IT training which builds trainer confidence; ensures a professional standard for trainers and leads to membership of the Institute of IT Training".

Edith Whitehead, the head of training at North Derbyshire HIS, is certainly in no doubt about the benefits that this approach has generated: "The Training Foundation has provided our trainers with a recognised professional IT training qualification and has also opened up contacts to a wider community of IT trainers than those working in the NHS.

"The complexities of IT training are sometimes not appreciated or understood by people who do not work in this area. The Trainer Assessment Programme provides tangible proof of the professional approach needed to ensure top quality IT training. It improves the confidence, morale and professional standing of IT trainers."

"We have recently recruited two more trainers and would like to be able to offer them TAP training subject to funding," added Whitehead.

External link

For further information about the TAP programme, including competency frameworks, training programmes and FAQs visit the Training Foundation website.

Training Reference is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites.

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