Informatics Workforce in the North WestOld Trafford Cricket GroundDecember 2009

Informatics and the WorkforcePart of the NHS North West Strategic Informatics Framework

DRAFT Version 1.0 July 2009

Scale

According to the IM&T spend survey there are somewhere over 1200 people delivering IM&T services in PCTs and 1750 in provider organisations. So there are about 3000 people, or a person per 50 members of the wider staff, delivering IT hardware and application support, help desk and training, and information reporting and analysis. This number varies considerably between similar organisations.

IM&T Staff per 100 users

LHC Informatics gaps

• Further fact finding and assessment during 2009/10 using a combination of the following tools. – LHC IM&T Self Assessment

– Capacity and capability resources and tools from Connecting for Health

– Health informatics Services Benchmarking, and other benchmarking services

– Other Competency frameworks self assessment

– National Infrastructure Maturity Model

Local recruitment agencies identify shortages

• Filling with contract staff in the areas of:– Systems and business analysis, – Project and programme management, – Clinical coding and– Information analysis

Example from LHC Plan• Project management - a development programme

PRINCE2 and MSP. Courses on change management are also available.

• Training - further formal vocational qualifications.• Business intelligence - spread across a number of

departments other than its Business Intelligence team and there are capability issues in a number of areas. Organisational Development initiatives will target resources

• Information Assurance and Business Continuity. an absolute requirement in any dependant organisation

Greater Manchester wide capacity review

Options for meeting the skill requirements associated with the aggressive plans for the deployment of Lorenzo Regional Care in Greater Manchester over the next few years. The options being considered include increased sharing of resources across the four sectors and the outsourcing of recruitment.

Profile for LRC programme – a GM Sector

Professionalisation• British Computer Society

– www.bcs.org/professionalism, – www.bcs.org/sfiaplus. – www.bcs.org/iseb

• Skills Framework for the Information Age– www.sfia.org.uk,

• The Qualifications and Curriculum, Development Agency – http://www.qcda.gov.uk/

• UK CHIP– www.ukchip.org.uk

• Connecting for health’s Professionalism in Health Informatics– www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/phi

Other initiatives

• Graduate Informatics Trainee

• Careers maps

• ASSIST

• Use of NHS SBS

• Benchmarking NW, England, Europe

The QIPP Agenda

Informatics can improve quality, encourage innovation, increase productivity and enable prevention.

This framework for the NHS in the North West aims to:

– Focus delivery– Make best use of resources – Support local decisions – Agree what to share at SHA level – Prioritise local and national

Top Ten Ways for Informatics to Contribute to QIPP

Conclusion

• We spend about 3% per year on Informatics• Informatics offers one of only a few ways to do more with

less whilst improving quality.• It should not be seen as purely a place to reduce costs

(although there may be some economies to be made) further investment/reinvestment of savings will bear further fruit

• There are already signs of Trusts reducing informatics spend and capability

• Benefits realisation is absolutely key and requires a partnership between Clinicians, Managers and Informatics professionals

Next Steps

• Consider the impact of the national guidance for the 2010/11 operating framework around informatics and establish a co-ordinated programme.

• Take on the findings of November Summit of Chief Executives and Chairs

• Continue to work with local organisations on the individual steps in the programmes of work proposed in this document and summarised in the table below.

Plans for 2010/11What By

Whom By When

Assess Level of resource/skills gaps against local demand (including pressure to reduce spend)

LHCs/SHAs

Feb 10

Develop a focus group(s) across NWSHA SHA Dec 09

Assess demand for shared investment in a development programme

SHA Mar 10

Consider outcome of Benchmarking study and plans for potential sharing of resources

LHCs/SHAs

Mar 10

Create an overall workforce plan for 2010-2013 LHCs/SHAs

Sept 10