Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust has launched a Data and Digital Academy to upskill colleagues in skills such as data analytics and Artificial Intelligence.
By building critical digital, data and AI skills in-house, Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust aims to reduce time spent on manual processes, enhance data-driven decision making, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.
The Academy will see more than 100 Trust colleagues trained on professional apprenticeships, across a diversity of job roles and functions. Frontline medical and clinical colleagues have enrolled on the programmes, as well as team members working in IT, quality assurance, administration and finance.
Apprenticeships will be delivered by the tech company Multiverse, best-in-class training in data analysis, visualisation and interpretation. Learners will be enrolled on the company’s new ‘AI for Business Value’ programme that will equip learners with the ability to drive improvement through the use of AI.
The training is fully funded by the Apprenticeship Levy.
Meera Nair, Chief People Officer at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, said: "I am thrilled to announce the launch of our Data & Digital Academy. This initiative empowers our employees with the skills to make better data-driven decisions, positively impacting the patients we serve, saving time in their day, and developing into the practitioners of the future.
“By unlocking the value of data, we aim to improve patient and community outcomes, both directly and indirectly. Our goal is to enable data-driven decision making to improve pathways, drive efficiencies and identify opportunities. We are committed to building a data and digital-first organisation and are thrilled to have Multiverse support us on this journey."
Alice Long, Apprenticeships Lead at the Trust, said: “We are excited to launch the Data and Digital Academy, a transformative partnership with Multiverse, which will help us empower our staff with the data and AI skills to drive cutting-edge healthcare decision making. Our aim is to for our colleagues to have the skills to help them transform the way they work, deliver best in class patient care and foster innovation at the Trust."
Since 2020, Multiverse has partnered with over 60 different NHS bodies, and more than 1000 NHS employees have enrolled on Multiverse programmes. Research by the company has found that UK employees working in healthcare are spending more time on data tasks than any other sector, but 29% of that time is spent unproductively.
Euan Blair, CEO of Multiverse, said: "I could not be prouder of our work with the NHS, where enhanced skills in data and AI have the potential to save lives, and better support patients and communities.
"Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust has recognised that emerging tech and data have the potential to help clinicians treat more patients, more reliably - improving outcomes and helping all of us lead healthier lives. The Data and Digital Academy will drive skills that will serve both their colleagues and patients for years to come."
