Allied Health ProfessionsLearning Needs Analysis and Workforce

Planning Workshop

7th May 2010

Lesley BarrowmanSenior Professional Officer

Learning Needs Analysis

The HSC must have a workforce that is responsive, able to meet service needs. Individual practitioners must be able to demonstrate competence in their roles.

Learning Needs Analysis

• Flexible approach to learning and development• Contribute to a strategic approach to learning

and development activities• Promote “learning cultures” within

organisations• Promote a structured approach to the learning

needs analysis process

Learning Needs AnalysisLearning and development activities should be designed to• Support service development• Support on-going and new role development• Assist with the development of new competencies• Develop knowledge base•Meet professional development needs of individuals

Learning Needs Analysis

Learning needs assessment is more likely to succeed and make a difference when it is ... ‘owned’ by stakeholders and changes are

implemented which bring about improvement in performance and practice.

Furze and Pearcey (1999)

Learning Needs Analysis

• Learning needs analysis is a systematic way of gathering and interpreting information about the learning needs of an organisation or teams and individuals within an organisation.• The learning needs analysis process should

address short (one year), medium (two to three years) and long term requirements (five to seven years)

Learning Needs Analysis

Assessment of need

Planning learning activities

Implementing learning activities

Evaluating outcomes and effectiveness

learning and development

cycle

Learning Needs Analysis

The process must take into account -

• The overall strategic developments of the HSCNI

• The overall service objectives of the organisation and how each part of the organisation contributes to this

• The competencies and skill sets required to meet service and departmental outputs

• The staff profile of each department to identify competencies and deficits and to plan the learning and development needs of staff

Learning Needs Analysis – External Influences

Examples

• Government drivers and policies

• New developments in fields of practice

• Ombudsman reports

• RQIA reports

Learning Needs Analysis – Internal Influences

Examples

• KSF requirements

• Clinical audit findings

• Critical incidents

• Patient satisfaction surveys

• Complaints

Issues that influence Learning Needs Analysis

• Business needs and objectives

• Planning of services

• Workforce planning and skill mix

• New role development and role expansion

• Job profiles to meet service needs

• Role descriptors and competencies of individual posts

Learning Needs Analysis – key questions

What do we need?

What do we have?

How do we get there?

Assessment– local and organisational

• Develop a CPD culture

• Develop a work-based learning culture

• Promote flexible and innovative approach to learning and development

• Clear and systematic identification of learning and development needs of departments and individuals

Assessment at local level

• Analysis of staff profile• Competency requirements of new or changed

roles• Annual appraisal/performance review of

individuals - KSF• Individual personal development plans

Planning and Delivering learning activities• Clear description of required outcomes

• Use formal and informal learning activities

• Use creative and flexible approaches to meeting learning needs

• Maximise the use of in-house learning resources and experiential learning

• Line managers identify learning activity required for individual practitioners

• Make organisational decisions

Evaluate effectiveness• Hold individuals to account for their learning and

development

• Post-learning evaluations – students and managers

• Note improvements in individual’s practice and level of competence – formally or informally

• Service delivery outputs and targets

• Audits, patient complaints, patient satisfaction surveys and clinical incident reports

• Learning activity linked to performance improvement represents value for money

Learning Needs Analysis

Assessment of need

Planning learning activities

Implementing learning activities

Evaluating outcomes and effectiveness

learning and development

cycle