Health and social care: data strategy

Talent and Culture

We want to attract, develop, support, and retain a workforce that is confident and competent in the use of data. This includes all staff having essential data skills that help us all to better manage the information we all depend upon, and advanced data skills that help us to create more insight from data.

Background

The transformation of health and social care services is reliant on the successful use of data and digital technologies. This means that health and social care staff, whatever their role, need to be able to interpret and apply data effectively, securely, and accurately. This requires an ongoing commitment to attracting, developing, supporting, and retaining a workforce that is confident and competent in their use of data and digital.

There is more to be done to support staff to understand the importance of collecting and using data to improve and transform care provision. Without their input, the quality and quantity of data required will simply not be collected.

We need to make data collection easy and proportionate for those working in health, social care and social work. By embedding it in the care delivery process, supported by appropriate digital technologies and solutions that drive cultural change, we can ensure these are more time-efficient and more reliable than non-digital alternatives.

Where we are now

The Health and Social Care: National Workforce Strategy made a commitment to ensure that health and social care have the right workforce with the right skills at the right time. We recognise that we need to improve the data literacy skills of the health and social care workforce to increase capability so that data can be analysed, interpreted, and utilised to inform decision making. The level of skill required will range from all staff having a basic level of understanding of the value and application of collecting, recording, and sharing quality data in their specific role, to providing specialist training for staff in data specific roles. Regardless of the role, everyone working in health and social care should understand the importance of data.

The onset of the pandemic demonstrated that the workforce can adapt quickly to digital technology changes and adopt flexible ways of working to deliver services as effectively as possible. We need to build on that momentum and support the ongoing flexibility and cultural change that is required.

Where we want to be

Scotland’s Digital Health and Care Strategy made a commitment to ensure that data and digital skills are core skills for staff. The Building Digital Skills and Leadership Programme is focused on the skills required by staff to adapt to and use digital technology ethically. This includes ensuring that we equip staff with the appropriate level of data literacy to ensure the safe and secure application, handling and analysis of health and social care data. A detailed action plan is currently being produced to measure progress against the programme. This will provide a focus for the programme going forward, to ensure that data and digital skills gaps are addressed throughout.

We also need to meet the needs of specialist groups of staff, for example:

• Information Governance. The review of the Information Governance Competency Framework will explore and create tailored learning and development options for staff at all levels across health and social care, but also support the needs of those staff specialising in this area.
• Knowledge Information and Data Workforce (KIND). KIND has created a virtual learning academy to support implementation of key priorities and scale-up of digital innovations within this specialist workforce area.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI). We are working in partnership across the UK to explore AI and what it means for our workforce. This includes understanding how data supports and helps develop decision support tools for front line staff and individuals self-managing their care, for example the Right Decision Support Service.
• Digital Data and Technology (DDaT) Framework. We are exploring the application of the DDaT Framework to support consistency across the health and social care sector and provide specialist staff with access to nationally provided learning and development opportunities.
• Executive Leadership in a Digital Age masterclasses. To equip Board-level executives and non-executives with the understanding of digital health, governance and leadership skills necessary to support transforming service delivery.
• Webinars for Leaders. The Exploring Digital Leadership webinar series is designed to build understanding of the skills required for leading in the digital age.

Leadership. Digital and data-driven leadership is critical at all levels of health and social care to drive forward service transformation. The Digital Leadership Programme supports participants in developing the strategic leadership skills required to influence the use of digital and data solutions in health and social care delivery. Moving forward, we will champion the expansion of all development programmes to cover data and digital.

Education. We are developing a formal postgraduate programme offering three buildable qualifications, with each course including modules on data:

• 1 year – Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert)
• 2 years – Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip)
• 3 years – Full Masters (MSc)

Action Plan. We will publish a comprehensive action plan clarifying the range of learning and development options for our integrated workforce. This will detail digital principles, learning outcomes and outputs, evaluation methodology and measurements of progress.

Our Commitments

We will build confidence in using data by ensuring all staff possess the essential data and digital skills they need to do their job. This includes providing consistent and tailored data and digital skills learning and development for all health and social care staff, incorporating blended training approaches as necessary.

Who is it for?

Professionals

Our Commitments

We will work with and support senior leaders to gain and further develop the skills to embed digital technology and data literacy across their organisations through our Digital Leadership programmes.

Who is it for?

Professionals

Our Commitments

We will ensure that there is appropriate level of leadership, skills and capacity, and an appropriately trained and resourced specialist workforce with career development opportunities across the system, to support the design and delivery of enhanced digital services.

Who is it for?

Professionals

Our Commitments

We will ensure that all workforce development programmes include data and digital.

Who is it for?

Professionals

Our Commitments

We will invest in our specialist workforce by developing appropriate tools and training resources that are relevant to job roles.

Who is it for?

Professionals

Our Commitments

Our Digitally Enabled Workforce programme will work with our universities and colleges to shape the future workforce by ensuring curricula prepare students for a digitally enabled health and social care environment, and produces graduates of the future for whom digital is a core skill.

Who is it for?

Professionals