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Working Together with Health Information annex: managing key issues that hamper effective education, training and development progress

  • Last modified date:
    8 February 2007

Overview

This section describes three of the main issues the NHS needs to tackle as it implements an effective ETD strategy for the information age:

  • cultural barriers
  • unrealistic expectations about what can be achieved by when
  • funding.

Detail

I1 Managing the culture

The NHS needs to change from a culture which was suspicious of and resisted the introduction of information technology to one in which information usage is is second nature for all parts of the NHS and its people. The need to overcome this cultural barrier was the biggest single issue raised throughout the ETD strategy consultation process.

In the past many NHS staff often unconsciously and incorrectly assumed that "information management" meant "computers". In recognition of this the ETD strategy seeks to promote the development of training efforts that focus on "information to use" and not simply "buttons to press". . For example, the task of recording information was often seen as a chore that someone else should do. Some healthcare professionals did not realise that information was crucial to achieving good performance; managers had not learnt to actively manage the IM&T agenda; and poor access to clinical information and clinical information systems meant newly qualified staff emerged from universities into an information desert.

The situation is changing! Real partnerships are emerging across the NHS that use information management to develop better and more efficient practice and services; information "champions" and opinion leaders are emerging whose contribution to the NHS has not yet been fully realised; and technology advances are creating an opportunity to ensure that the quality of clinical data is as good as it can be to ensure that there is continuous improvement of services.

Part and parcel of culture change involves delivering something to support professional practice.

Changing culture is not just about changing belief. It involves demonstrating that tools will be available for staff that will be of practical help to manage large workloads and deliver benefits for patient care.

Some medical schools have created network links between hospitals and universities that can be used by pre-registration house officers and moves are under way to make the knowledge bases currently available to universities also available to NHS trusts.

This ETD strategy recognises the important role that senior managers can play to help develop an information culture that is appropriate to the NHS and that encourages information management and use.

A list of effective actions that can be taken by senior managers to help develop an information culture was compiled during the ETD strategy consultation process. It says senior managers can help by:

  • Making formal statements that demonstrate ownership of information projects
  • Becoming role models and supporting coaching for other senior staff
  • Explicitly acknowledging, rewarding and raising the status of people who make good contributions to the information culture
  • Demonstrating that they are actively sponsoring, monitoring and personally paying attention to key activities
  • making sure that the information function (including all of the staff involved in formal and informal roles) is seen as a central contributor to corporate success (and if necessary changing organisational design, recruitment, promotion and structures to achieve this)
  • Investing in appropriate staff training for specialist skills
  • Revising organisational systems and procedures to make best use of available information for decision support

I2 Managing unrealistic expectations

During the initial consultation phase of this strategy it became clear that there were a wide range of different expectations about the strategy's purpose, content and presentation. The strategy will not address everyone's concerns nor does it suggest that partners restrict their activities solely to the areas identified in the strategy document

It is important to note that the NHS Information Authority is currently responsible for over 50 national projects and each of these projects will incorporate a training and development component. It is not the intent of this document to identify those training needs; this will be done by individual national project teams.

In addition the strategy does not:

  • Specify the exact learning needs of particular groups - much work has been done on this and is reported elsewhere
  • Explain the specific ETD issues for individual national programmes. This is the responsibility of each of the programmes and content experts.
  • Describe how all of the different partners will need to work together to ensure that IM&T is included in all relevant programmes. The NHS Executive will establish an inter-regional forum as part of the partnership arrangements for Information for Health.
  • Provide guidance on using information technology for education. [This strategy predominantly concerns ETD about information and its management].

I3 Managing Resources

This strategy recognises that funding is always an issue in any sphere of health service activity. Resources for the strategy will come from a number of different sources so that:

  • Each year the NHS Information Authority will dedicate a portion of its funding to support a national ETD Information Management programme
  • Every individual national information management programme will be expected to review the learning implications for successful implementation and allocate a component of its funding to ensure that the ETD needs are appropriately addressed
  • Modernisation Fund monies will be made available to fill the gaps in local health informatics services identified in LISs.
  • An Information Management Education, Training and Development Adviser (EDA) will be appointed by the Information Authority and based in each health region. The resources available to each EDA will be extended to facilitate the development of Regional Learning Networks (Programme B - Finding the right help: support and guidance, problem solving, sharing, and learning across the NHS)
  • Local organisations can ensure that ETD activities are included as part of the projected cost of development of Information Systems and implementing the Information for Health strategy.
  • Education Consortia will be expected to devote resources to this area based upon the priorities identified in guidance for education commissioners and arrangements for Continuing Professional Development.

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