E-LEARNING AND CPD
Enhancing productivity through e-learning
Lynn Callard, interim director of productivity and quality and national lead for The Productive Care QIPP workstream at the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, discusses the e-learning packages available as part of The Productive Series.
T
he Productive Series by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement has been
widely hailed as one of the most successful improvements in NHS history. Since its introduction in 2008, thousands of frontline NHS staff have been empowered to take a lead role in improving productivity, freeing up time to spend with patients and saving the NHS millions of pounds.
It’s no secret that the NHS is currently facing its greatest ever challenge, with £15- 20bn in effi ciency savings needing to be found by 2014. While the magnitude of this challenge can’t be under-estimated, savings made through The Productive Series could contribute signifi cantly towards this goal.
Many organisations which have implemented Productive programmes have achieved numerous improvements in quality and productivity, and usually at no extra cost. It’s estimated that trusts implementing Productive programmes could achieve a variety of fi nancial savings, such as every ward delivering £62.5k of savings, every operating theatre £212k and every community trust £3m worth of savings.
In order to meet the Government’s Quality, Improvement, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) target, the Productive Care national QIPP workstream – which consists of the main programmes in The Productive Series – aims to have all wards, operating theatres and community trusts operating ‘productively’ by 2013. It’s estimated this will result in a total saving of around £1.4bn, helping to sustain the NHS through economic turmoil.
There’s no doubt that the series has brought about meaningful improvements to the NHS, but this doesn’t mean the NHS Institute wants to rest on its laurels. Always keen to ensure continuous improvement is built into its own offerings, the NHS Institute is constantly considering how the series can be made even better.
In 2010, the NHS Institute began exploring the potential of e-learning as part of The
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Productive Series package. It teamed up with Virtual College, a specialist e-learning provider with extensive experience in delivering NHS training through its Lean Healthcare Academy, to roll out a pilot project at six UK sites.
Like many trusts, Southern Health & Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland had seen hundreds of hours of staff time freed up through the introduction of The Productive Series, resulting in more time for direct
Mental Health Ward, The Productive
Community Hospital and Productive Community Services.
Six qualifi cations are available within each package. Four modules will usually need to be completed to achieve the foundation level, and a further three are available for those wanting greater involvement.
Southern Health & Social Care Trust is now rolling out the Productive Community Services modules and aims to have 50% of the Trust’s delivery area involved by October 2012.
Speaking of the decision to include e-learning in the Trust’s Productives training package, Morton said: “E-learning might not be right for everybody, but I believe it has a place as part of a blended approach to learning along with mentoring and face-to-face workshops. We’ve found the modules can help prepare staff for workshops, giving them time to refl ect on theory in advance so they gain even more from the face-to-face element.”
patient care. Having found e-learning useful in the past, the trust was interested to see how e-learning could enhance the programme.
Jacqueline Morton, head of continuous improvement at the trust, said: “All those who participated in the pilot, from ward sisters to HCAs, found the product to be clear and easy to use, as well as engaging and informative. We felt it would be useful for introducing ward staff who wouldn’t be attending the workshops to the concept of the Productives programme, improving team cohesion on wards carrying out projects to improve quality of care and productivity.”
The e-learning modules have since been refi ned. They combine the Virtual College’s technology and platform with course content from the NHS Institute, providing a comprehensive and scalable service to deliver effi cient and low-cost training.
So far, e-learning packages have been produced for The Productive Ward, The Productive
Sue Speak, head of service improvement at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, offers the modules to new and existing members of staff.
She said: “E-learning helps new members of staff to get involved with the excellent Productives work we are already doing and is a great refresher for those who attended training some time ago.”
The move to include e-learning in The Productive Series is part of the NHS Institute’s ongoing work to ensure the principles of the programme continue to reap rewards long into the future. It’s not intended to replace any aspects of the programme that have proved so successful, but to enhance the product, making it even more benefi cial for trusts looking to improve productivity.
Lynn Callard
FOR MORE INFORMATION
www.theproductives.com
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