Induction programme for clinicians new to digital

The 'Induction programme for Clinicians New to Digital/Informatics' equips healthcare professionals with essential digital skills through seven interactive modules co-designed by North West NHS clinical digital leaders in partnership with academia and NHS England.

Initially launched regionally by the North West Digital Skills Development Network, the programme now runs nationally with 80 - 160 attendees per webinar. Free and accessible to all clinicians via the Skills Development Network website, sessions combine expert-led presentations, breakout rooms, polls, open forums and real-world application to build confidence and foster a digital learning culture across the NHS.

Ambition

The North West Digital Skills Development Network (DSDN - membership network for NHS organisations) developed the "Induction programme for Clinicians New to Digital Health / Clinical Informatics programme" in response to the growing recognition that formal clinical qualifications alone do not adequately prepare clinicians for the realities of digital health and informatics roles. With the shift from ‘Analog to Digital’ in the 10- year-plan, there are a growing number of clinicians who move to work in digital who require this support.

As healthcare rapidly digitises, many clinicians find themselves isolated when transitioning into digital environments, lacking both the peer support and the practical digital literacy needed to thrive. This gap is particularly pronounced for those who are expert practitioners in their clinical fields but are "new to digital", often feeling disconnected from established informatics communities and overwhelmed by the complexity of digital systems.

The DSDN can bridge this divide by providing structured support, peer networks, and targeted development opportunities. Its programmes - such as induction modules and forums for clinicians new to digital - aim to foster a sense of belonging, share best practice, and build confidence in digital skills. By connecting new digital clinicians with experienced mentors and a wider community, the DSDN helps to reduce professional isolation and accelerate the integration of clinical expertise with digital innovation, ensuring that digital transformation in healthcare is both inclusive and clinically meaningful.

NW Senior Digital Leaders collaborated to create a structured, inclusive programme for clinicians new to digital roles. The ambition was clear:

• Provide baseline training for nurses, AHPs, pharmacists, doctors, and other clinicians entering a digital role
• Make learning accessible, practical, and relevant to everyday clinical practice
• Build a peer network to support ongoing development

Seven modules were developed using co-design principles, each chaired by a senior NHS clinical digital leader and supported by NHS England and academic partners. Learning modules include:

1. Introduction to Health Informatics / Digital Health
2. Clinical Safety
3. Digital Inclusion and Health Inequalities
4. Digital Research
5. Information Governance
6. Building Clinical Digital Teams
7. Digitally Enabled Primary and Community Care 

Targets included:

• Deliver seven modules annually with continued positive feedback
• Achieve national reach and >60 attendees per session
• Embed digital literacy as a core competency for clinicians entering informatics roles
• Continue to iterate and evolve the programme and learning content 

Outcome

The programme has exceeded expectations:

• Reach: Between 80 and 160 attendees per webinar, spanning multiple clinical disciplines
• Engagement: Consistently high satisfaction scores and positive feedback on relevance and quality
• Impact: Clinicians report increased confidence in applying digital principles to their roles, improving adoption of digital tools and patient safety practices

Additional outcomes include strengthened networks among clinicians and digital leaders, fostering collaboration and cultural change towards embedding digital in everyday care.

Value

The programme delivers lasting value by:

• Boosting digital literacy across diverse clinical groups as a multidisciplinary approach
• Improving confidence and competence, reducing resistance to digital adoption
• Offering free, high-quality, accessible training, ensuring equity and value for money
• Developing the clinicians in digital / informatics network regionally and nationally and signposting to additional training opportunities

Indirect benefits include improved patient safety through better-informed digital decision-making and efficiencies from streamlined workflows.

The power of Digital Skills Development networks is always the discretionary effort of its volunteers. While there is a small core team coordinating activity, members see the benefits in contributing to the network and giving up their time to volunteer. Therefore, there is no cost incurred for the development or delivery of this wide-reaching training programme and it is accessible to everyone free of charge.

It is very difficult to put a financial value to a training programme like this but if you would imagine that as a result of the programme, the performance of each attendee just improved by 1% (or even 5%) due to an increase in competence or even just confidence, that would be amazing.

Involvement

This initiative exemplifies co-production:

• Developed collaboratively by North West NHS clinical digital senior leaders, academia, and NHS England
• Each module is chaired by an NHS clinician, ensuring practical relevance
• Feedback loops and interactive design shaped content to meet clinicians’ needs

Stakeholder engagement was integral, with consultations and initial sessions informing an iterative process of refinement for an improved 2025 second cohort programme delivery and cohort 3 is currently being delivered, module 6 is scheduled for 5 October 2026.

If you are interested in finding out more about the programme, contact Christine Banks: [email protected]