Digital skills and training for health and care workers in the North East and North Cumbria: a review of national and regional policy research

Executive Summary:
This Northern Health Futures (NortHFutures) policy review explores the current digital skills requirements and training needs amongst the health and care workforce (including NHS, social care, and social work sectors), at both the national level and more specifically in the North East and North Cumbria (NENC) region of the UK. Drawing on relevant policy and skills frameworks and grey literature from key national and regional stakeholders, the report provides an understanding of the current guidance and expectations around workforce development for digital competencies. It also provides research-based insights into unmet training and skills needs within the sector. Driven by the knowledge that gaps in digital confidence and competency have been a key factor hindering the adoption and implementation of digital technology in the health and care sector, the review contributes to NortHFutures’ ongoing mission to support the development of a vibrant health and social care technology innovation ecosystem within the NENC region.1
1 Shemesh, B., et al. (2025) Tech to Save Time: How the NHS Can Realise the Benefits.

Key findings from the reviewed literature include the following:
Digitisation of health care cannot be successful without digitally upskilling the entirety of the sector’s workforce.
The social care workforce is currently lagging behind the health care workforce in terms of digital literacy.
This gap will continue to widen without appropriate investment in digital infrastructure and training.
Programmes that currently invest in digital leadership appear to be successful and should receive further investment.
This actively supports knowledge transfer within the sector and institutional digital transformation.
Additional support is needed for the continued development of hybrid roles bridging the gap between digital and clinical practice, such as digital nurses and clinical informaticians.
A universal approach to training is not effective. Instead, training should be adapted to the needs of individual professional groups and workers’ current levels of digital readiness.
To effectively upskill the emerging workforce, digital skills should be embedded into the undergraduate and apprenticeship education of prospective health and social care professionals. Supporting professional development for educators will be essential for this to succeed.
The NENC region has a lower rate of digital literacy compared to the rest of the UK, resulting in a particular need for education in key digital skills and basic digital literacy surrounding AI and data.
Significant investment in digital infrastructure is required to ensure that the NENC region can keep pace with and take full advantage of the ongoing digital transformation of the NHS and improve its public health outcomes.