Today, NHS Scotland Academy is celebrating 5 years of helping strengthen Scotland’s healthcare workforce through education, training and professional development.
Established through a partnership between NHS Golden Jubilee and NHS Education for Scotland, now Public Services Delivery Scotland (PSD), the Academy was created to develop innovative training solutions in areas where workforce pressures and service demand were growing fastest.
Five years on, its impact is being seen across hospitals, diagnostic services and clinical teams throughout Scotland.
Carolynne O’Connor, NHS Golden Jubilee Chief Executive, said: "When NHS Scotland Academy was established, the ambition was clear: to help NHS Scotland respond to workforce challenges in new and innovative ways.
"Over the past 5 years, NHS Golden Jubilee has been proud to work in partnership with PSD Scotland to deliver NHS Scotland Academy and help develop the NHS workforce for the future.
“Through this partnership, NHS Golden Jubilee provides the specialist facilities and clinical learning environment that allow staff to develop their skills in a real NHS setting. By bringing learning and clinical practice together, we are helping to build workforce capacity and support high-quality care for patients across Scotland.”
Professor Karen Reid, Chief Executive of Public Services Delivery Scotland said: "NHS Scotland Academy is a fantastic example of what can be achieved through partnership, ambition and innovation.
"What makes me most proud is that the Academy's success is not measured by the number of courses we deliver. It is measured by the difference those programmes make to patients, staff and services.
“Our partnership with NHS Golden Jubilee is at the heart of NHS Scotland Academy, combining our expertise in education and workforce development with NHS Golden Jubilee’s specialist facilities and clinical environment.
“Through the Academy, we have developed structured curricula and digital learning through Turas alongside practical learning opportunities, helping staff build specialist skills and NHS Boards strengthen their teams. Five years on, our continued partnership is helping to develop a skilled and confident workforce that can respond to the changing needs of NHS Scotland.”
Since its launch, the Academy's National Endoscopy Training Programme (NETP) has trained more than 1,150 healthcare professionals and has helped avoid around 2,000 repeat patient appointments through improvements in colonoscopy completion rates. This means patients can receive diagnoses and treatment sooner while NHS services can make better use of valuable clinical capacity.
In diagnostic imaging, the Academy's National Ultrasound Training Programme has delivered more than 29,000 ultrasound examinations for over 24,000 patients while training the next generation of sonographers and diagnostic specialists.
This programme has also received an incredible 100% patient satisfaction rate, demonstrating how workforce development and patient care can go hand in hand.
The Academy has also supported Scotland's planned care recovery by helping expand specialist theatre workforces.
Its accelerated Surgical First Assistant Programme has increased the national workforce from 19 practitioners to 47, helping strengthen theatre teams and improve resilience across NHS Scotland. Training that traditionally took years can now be completed in just 34 weeks, allowing services to benefit from skilled staff much sooner.
Similarly, the Academy's Anaesthetic Practitioner Programme has reduced competency completion times from an average of 20 months to 26 weeks, helping NHS Boards rapidly develop specialist staff and increasing flexibility within theatre teams. Service leaders report improvements in workforce capability, workforce resilience and patient care as a direct result of the programme.
One Service Manager said: "It has made such a difference to our workplace having staff able to be dual trained.
“It has taken the strain off on-call services and if there is sickness it is much easier covered. The programme has increased flexibility within our team and strengthened our service."
Health Secretary Angela Constance said:
"Over the last 5 years, the academy has demonstrated how innovative approaches to workforce development can directly support NHS reform and sustainability while improving outcomes for patients.
"The impact achieved so far is significant. Thousands of patients have already benefited from expanded diagnostic capacity and strengthened specialist services, while NHS Boards across Scotland are seeing the value of accelerated workforce development.
By helping staff gain specialist skills more quickly, the academy is supporting faster access to care. This is exactly the kind of innovation that will help ensure our NHS remains sustainable and responsive for future generations."