News
New IT qualification for NHS staff
28 April 2008
A new core IT skills qualification for health workers has been
developed by the British Computer Society (BCS) in partnership with the
NHS Connecting for Health Education, Training and Development Programme.
The NHS Elite (NHS elearning IT essentials) qualification helps to
consolidate the IT skills of NHS staff by offering hands-on IT training,
from using a keyboard and mouse, through to email, web and file
management skills. The training uses a simulation of a computer that the
trainees are expected to use at work. The new qualification replaces the generic
office IT skills
qualification, the European Computer Driving Licence, that has been used
in the NHS up to now.
NHS Wales announced in March that it is adopting the new
qualification for NHS staff as the "preferred benchmark for essential IT
skills", offering training through the NHS Wales Learning Academy.
The new qualification complements the revamped NHS Health Unit, now
known as NHS Health (NHS eLearning for Health Information Systems),
which provides staff with the training they need to comply with rules on
information governance, data protection and patient confidentiality when
using health information systems implemented locally through the
National Programme for IT (NPfIT).
Both qualifications are part of the joint BCS/NHS Essential IT Skills
(EITS) Programme funded by NHS CfH (Connecting for Health), which has
been developed to ensure front line NHS staff have access to training
which will develop their basic IT skills whilst also ensuring that they
understand their responsibilities in regards to accessing and handling
patient information on the new systems and services.
Peter Bayley, Director of Qualification Products at the BCS, said:
“Changes in the way patient information is stored and shared means that
qualification providers need to be anticipating and mirroring those
changes. To have one of our tailored qualifications taken up by one of
the largest organisations in the world is a fantastic confirmation of
the continued relevance and value of BCS qualifications.”
BCS NHS ELITE allows health workers to demonstrate their competence
using a simulated IT system. From there a tailored learning plan is
drawn up to guide the student through a range of appropriate tutorials.
BCS NHS Health is the first computer skills syllabus in the world
specifically for users of healthcare systems and covers some of the
broad issues, challenges and benefits of using electronic patient
information systems. It has been designed for all NHS staff working with
systems including clinical and non-clinical staff.
The pilot was trialled by 100 NHS staff across five NHS trusts.
Candidates took an average of ten hours to complete the learning section
and 90% of candidates passed the end-of-course test.
The BCS NHS Health initiative is the result of seven years’
collaborative work between the BCS and NHS to develop a computer skills
syllabus specifically for users of healthcare information systems,
providing them with the confidence and competence to use IT effectively
when caring for patients.
Claire Adams, Programme Manager for NHS CfH, said, ‘I am delighted to
be working with the BCS to provide access to Essential IT Skills
training for clinical and non-clinical health care staff over the next
three years. By funding access to learning materials, registrations,
tests, accreditation and certification, NHS Connecting for Health is
taking advantage of national economies of scale to help meet local NHS
needs. The endorsement of the BCS accreditations for both NHS ELITE and
NHS Health provides NHS staff with a credible and professional
qualification and we look forward to working with the BCS to continue to
develop the Essential IT Skills Programme’.
Further information
The NHS Elite qualification website
www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/systemsandservices/
etd/eits/about/nhselite
List of approved NHS Elite training centres
www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/systemsandservices/
etd/eits/access/approved
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