Treading the Learning Path

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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