Skills for Health launches adaptive training to reduce workforce burden

Skills for Health has launched a digital learning programme designed to reduce the time healthcare staff spend completing statutory and mandatory training.

The sector skills council’s Adaptive Refresher programme uses diagnostic assessments to identify existing knowledge and tailor training to individual requirements, reducing the need for staff to repeat material they have already mastered. Initial pilots have demonstrated that course completion times could be more than halved.

The initiative is aimed at helping healthcare providers improve workforce productivity while maintaining statutory and mandatory training compliance.

Covering all 19 subjects within the Core Skills Training Framework and NHS England’s Statutory and Mandatory Training Programme, the courses incorporate interactive chatbot simulations to highlight changes in guidance since learners last completed their training.

Administrators can also require staff to complete specific modules where necessary.

Skills for Health is offering healthcare providers free trials of the programme, which it said could help release workforce capacity by reducing time spent on refresher training.

Christos Lucas, head of learning at Skills for Health, said: ‘Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, adaptive learning begins by understanding and accrediting an individual’s existing knowledge, and identifying where there are gaps.’

‘This means that staff can spend less time repeating content they have already demonstrated competence in and more time on their day-to-day roles, giving providers confidence that training requirements are being met.’

The initiative has also received support from the NHS Benchmarking Network and Healthcare People Management Association (HPMA).

HPMA CEO Janine La Rosa said repeated training could contribute to frustration and cognitive overload among healthcare staff, diverting time away from frontline care.

‘Approaches such as adaptive learning have the potential to improve the learner experience, reduce unnecessary burden and help staff devote more of their time and attention to patient care,’ she said.