Free digital and data training launches for AHPs

A free digital education programme has been launched to provide access to digital and data knowledge and practical skills for allied health professionals (AHPs) based in the UK. 

The Digital and Data Foundations education programme, which launched on 24 November 2025, is hosted by the NHS England Digital Academy, but is also open for AHPs not working in the NHS.

It has been fully funded by NHS England Digital Academy and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) Charitable Trust, in collaboration with Keele University, EL Healthcare Education, the CSP and other AHP professional bodies.

Prabha Vijayakumar, chief AHP information officer at NHSE, said: “The training is designed so that it caters to the needs of the learner, not just one profession, one setting or one level of professional maturity.

“It is flexible and adaptable to the organisations and to the skills gaps of the learner.

“We want digital and data to be comfortable for AHPs at all levels. That will create digitally mature and data-enabled AHP services, and ultimately, visible digital AHP leadership.”

The programme, which is also open to students and support workers, is module-based with bite-sized content allowing for learners to access it in their own time around other work or studying commitments.

It is supported by multimedia, interactive content, case studies from real AHPs, and reflective activities to support AHPs to apply the learning in their own team, service or setting.

Euan McComiskie, health informatics lead at the CSP, said: “We’ve collaborated with AHP colleagues and academic experts to make this education programme work for all learners regardless of their digital or data expertise at the start of the course.

“The interactive elements of the programme and the reflective activities will keep the learner engaged and give them personalised outputs in their part of the AHP world.”

The programme is designed to provide a solid foundation of digital and data education specifically for AHPs across the UK.

Meanwhile, James Freed, deputy director of the NHS Digital Academy, said that healthcare staff are quitting the sector because of a lack of digital literacy skills which leads them to struggle with technology.

Speaking at the BMJ Future Health conference in London on 6 November 2025, Freed said that poor levels of digital literacy in the NHS are causing poorer patient outcomes, staff burnout and workers to leave the sector.