About the ISDN Toolkit programme

This online toolkit provides you with advice, guidance, templates and examples that you can use when setting up a regional Informatics Skills Development Network. The content has been provided by the North West Informatics Skills Development Network, through their experience of establishing and growing an ISDN for over 10 years.

It describes the practical steps needed to set up an ISDN, maintain and develop it, from first steps to creating a flourishing, self-sustaining network.

The toolkit is aimed at anyone thinking of, or already involved in, a new ISDN.  For example this could be Chief Information Officers, to realise the strategic benefits of collaborating across their region, workforce development professionals in NHS and Social Care organisations to support development in their organisations or informatics professionals who want to collaborate and learn from each other.

The toolkit describes the functions that the mature NW ISDN provides. It is likely that new regions will want to start with just a few of these and develop others later according to regional need. The list below show the six areas provided by the NW, in the probable order they may be carried out or established.

You can dip into any area of the content as you need it or go straight to the resources section for templates and guidance documents. The key topics are:

1. Getting started
2. Year 1 training programme
3. Annual workforce data collection
4. Inaugural annual conference
5. Accreditation programme
6. Setting up special interest groups

The Resources section contains a wide range of template and example documents.

More information

Regional Informatics Skills Development Networks (ISDNs)

The flourishing ISDNs in the North West and Yorkshire & Humber provide a wide range of learning, networking, sharing and accreditation resources to support informatics specialists and departments across those regions.

Drawing particularly on the expertise of the North West network, Health Education England’s (HEE) Digital Readiness Programme has produced an online ‘ISDN Toolkit’, containing the resources to help the establishment of similar ISDNs in other regions.

HEE will also provide tailored practical support, such as limited initial funding for an in-region SDN coordinator and work closely with organisations such as the Federation for Informatics Professionals to develop the professional landscape.

For more information please visit the Digital Readiness Programme pages

https://www.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/digital-experts

To find out more about the HEE offer of support or discuss an ISDN in your area please email

digitalreadiness@hee.nhs.uk

For more information on the Skills Development Networks see

https://www.skillsdevelopmentnetwork.com/

How to access

In order to access the ISDN Toolkit programme, you will need an elfh account. If you do not have one, then you can register by selecting the Register button below.

Register >

To view the ISDN Toolkit programme, select the View button below. If you already have an account with elfh, you will also be able to login and enrol on the programme from the View button.

View >

Not an NHS organisation?

If you are not an NHS health or care organisation and therefore do not qualify for free access elfh Hub, you may be able to access the service by creating an OpenAthens account.

To check whether or not you qualify for free access via OpenAthens, you can view the eligibility criteria and register on the ‘OpenAthens’ portal.

Registering large numbers of users

If you are a HR, IT or Practice Manager and would like to register and enrol large numbers of staff within your organisation for access onto the ISDN Toolkit programme, please contact elfh directly.

Organisations wishing to use their own LMS

For HR departments wanting to know more about gaining access to courses using an existing Learning Management System please contact elfh directly to express interest.

More information

Please select the following link for more information on how to use the elfh Hub.