LMP Education has strengthened its partnership with the Salisbury NHS Trust Foundation by being awarded a new contract to deliver a wide range of apprenticeship programmes to NHS staff.

Previously since 2018, LMP has been delivering the Library, Information & Archive Services Assistant (LIAS) training programme and to date has engaged with over 50 NHS Trusts across England. The LIAS apprenticeship has proved integral to support hospital libraries with information, research and knowledge.

More recently the demand has grown from NHS Trusts to offer training programs tailored to the specific needs of the hospital. This ensures that apprentices receive the skills and knowledge required to meet the hospital’s unique demands and standards of care.

Apprenticeships also allow hospitals to train employees in-house, reducing the need to hire experienced staff from outside the organisation. This can be more cost-effective in the long run as the hospital invests in developing the skills of apprentices who can then become valuable, long-term employees.

Hospitals often face shortages of skilled support workers, particularly in certain areas such as digital, IT, HR and business administration. Apprenticeships provide a way to attract and develop new talent to fill these critical roles.

Leading training provider LMP Education has secured a contract with the NHS under the Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust procurement system to deliver its extensive portfolio of apprenticeships.

The recruitment of apprentices is a strategic approach for hospitals to address staffing challenges, develop a skilled and loyal workforce, and position themselves for success in the ever-changing healthcare landscape.

LMP Education, Project Lead, Mani Bahra commented:

‘We are extremely proud of our journey with the NHS. This began at the end of 2018 with us being awarded the tender to deliver, what has now become one of our most popular courses, the Library, Information & Archive Services Assistant. We have since renewed our partnership to deliver all our programmes as we engage new and existing trusts. We are supporting them in line with The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan to address the gaps in the current workforce and meet the challenge of a growing and ageing population.

These actions fall into three priority areas:

• Train: significantly increasing education and training to record levels, as well as increasing apprenticeships and alternative routes into professional roles, to deliver more doctors and dentists, more nurses and midwives, and more of other professional groups, including new roles designed to better meet the changing needs of patients and support the ongoing transformation of care.

• Retain: ensuring that we keep more of the staff we have within the health service by better supporting people throughout their careers, boosting the flexibilities we offer our staff to work in ways that suit them and work for patients, and continuing to improve the culture and leadership across NHS organisations.

• Reform: improving productivity by working and training in different ways, building broader teams with flexible skills, changing education and training to deliver more staff in roles and services where they are needed most, and ensuring staff have the right skills to take advantage of new technology that frees up clinicians’ time to care, increases flexibility in deployment, and provides the care patients need more effectively and efficiently.’

Supporting the NHS with apprenticeships, training, and development is crucial for ensuring a skilled and capable healthcare workforce. By offering apprenticeships, individuals can gain practical experience while receiving training tailored to the healthcare sector. This not only enhances their skills but also provides opportunities for career progression within the NHS. 

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/nhs-long-term-workforce-plan/

Find out more about the Library, Information & Archive Services Assistant (LIAS) training programme

To discuss further please contact Mani Bahra – mani@lmpeducation.org or call 020 3836 4405.