he Independent mental healthcare specialist, The Priory Group,provides professional education,specialist care, neuro-

rehabilitation and psychiatric services forpeople with addictions, eating disorders,depressive illnesses and psychoses. TheGroup also operates a national network ofresidential care for older people includingnursing or specialist dementia care.

The enterprise has adopted learningtechnologies to the extent that e-learningis embedded into every aspect of thebusiness. Its award-winning corporateblended learning programme, calledFoundations for Growth (FFG), has nowbeen in operation for five years and hase-learning at its heart.

After a successful pilot, FFG was launchedto 5000 staff across over fifty sites. Theprogramme delivered eighteen structurede-learning modules, each with linked offlinelearning activities. Over 33,000 module

December 2009 Inside Learning Technologies 95

E-learning is more than a way of education at The Priory

Group, it’s a way of life. Owen Rose describes how learning

technology is a platform for competitive advantage in the

healthcare business.

E-LEARNINGIS THE FOUNDATION

FOR GROWTH

T

completions were recorded within the firstsix months, and extensive evaluationsshowed exceptionally high approval ratingsfrom learners and managers.

There are thirty-nine bespoke modulescurrently in use. They are testament to howlearning technologies can evolve from anL&D tool to a value-add business partner.The focus on stakeholder equirements,communication and change managementis credited with the outstanding level ofadoption. FFG has saved Priory over £5million in direct training costs since itslaunch four years ago.

The e-learning programme deliversenormous business impact and provides aplatform for sustained corporate advantagesays chief operating officer MatthewFranzidis: “We aim to deliver consistentservices of the highest quality, and thisprogramme is vital. It is wonderful to go toany Priory site and see staff of all gradesusing FFG as part their work. The result isbetter trained staff, improved servicedelivery and higher patient satisfaction.”

Foundations for Growth was created in2005 in response to pressing businessneeds. A period of rapid acquisition andexpansion had placed intense pressure ontraining resources. Scaling up an existingclassroom training model for core skills ledto inconsistency, inefficiency and risk ofnon-compliance, untenable in such atightly regulated sector.

Priory’s leadership team wanted to harnessthe power of e-learning to create a scalableand accessible platform for learning.However, the team was aware of thesignificant barriers to implementinglearning technologies in an workingenvironment focussed on people, with lowlevels of PC literacy, and limited technicalinfrastructure.

The Group appointed us to create asolution that would overcome thesebarriers. We are known for our ability towork with complex businesses, to producebespoke learning solutions, and for resultsthrough stake-holder engagement.

The success of the project was rooted infour key interventions. Firstly, extensiveconsultation with stakeholders across thebusiness, from housekeeper to the CEO.This led to an understanding of businessneeds, learner needs and workingenvironment. Secondly, a twenty-strongworking party of staff from across Priorywas appointed to guide all aspects of thedevelopment. Thirdly, key training needswere identified, in both mandatory andspecialist training areas. Lastly, a strong and

memorable identity was created(Foundations for Growth), to spearheadextensive communication and changemanagement activity.

This initial success was recognised by theindustry when The Priory Group’sFoundation for Growth programme wonthe 2006 E-learning Award for the beste-learning project securing widespreadadoption.

Since then, the story has been one ofongoing enhancement and developmentwhich has made e-learning an essentialbusiness partner.

EXTENDING AND ENHANCINGONLINE CONTENT

Over the past four years, there has beencontinuous development of new e-learningcontent to meet changing business needs.As a result, more content requests noworiginate from business managers thanfrom L&D. This demonstrates that thelearning culture created is closelyintegrated with the needs of the business.

The Group has not relied on one formathowever, and increasingly lets the trainingneed determine the delivery choice. Forexample, podcasts were created to educatestaff on patient experiences and Learningand Development staff are trained torecord and produce their own podcasts in-house. Compliance modules were re-fittedwith a pre-test to allow staff todemonstrate their knowledge ofcompliance without having to regularlycomplete the same learning module.

The FFG learning management platform isnow an essential business system at Priory,supporting operational activity across theorganisation. The initial creation andsubsequent enhancements have beenguided by the needs of L&D. Significantdevelopment of the learning managementsystem however, has been driven byspecific business units such as finance,regulatory and operations as well as thesenior management team.

A networked corporate service has beenlaunched, which has opened up animportant channel of communication. Allstaff are engaged and use the service aspart of their everyday work.

Consequently, when Priory sought to re-vamp its corporate intranet, FFG wasintegrated into the interface. This helped

E-LEARNING IS THE FOUNDATION FOR GROWTH

There are thirty-nine bespoke modules currently in use. Theyare testament to how learning technologies can evolve froman L&D tool to a value-add business partner.

96 Inside Learning Technologies December 2009

place the learning and development at theheart of corporate communication.

The remarkable early adoption of FFG, andits subsequent enhancement, has madee-learning an everyday part of working lifeat Priory.

CLINICAL RISK ASSESSMENT

In the demanding and potentiallydangerous environment of mentalhealthcare, effective clinical riskmanagement is critical. Poorly managedrisk has serious implications: suicide, self-harm, aggression and danger for otherpatients, staff or visitors.

A business benefit that has resulted fromFFG is exemplified by the e-learningmodule Clinical Risk Assessment (CRA)E-learning is used to deliver a corporateCRA training programme. It provides aconsistent and comprehensive introductionto the subject across all healthcare sites.The course is bespoke, and capitalises onthe knowledge and experience of subjectmatter experts (SMEs), and uses a blend ofe-learning with linked observationexercises.

The CRA e-learning was audited throughpatient-observation practice and record-keeping at Priory’s clinical sites. In all cases,improved practice was demonstratedfollowing the launch of the e-learning.Approval ratings from learners were highand a telephone survey of managers revealedwidespread positive impact of the newtraining. The success of the CRA course wasrecognised through a National TrainingAward for the South East Region in 2007.

All of the e-learning modules capture bestpractice from Subject Matter Experts(SMEs), and other key opinion leaders, andembeds it into a consistent and accessibletraining platform. The programme has hada huge impact on staff performance andservice quality says head of HR, JacolynFerguson: “FFG has helped ensure stabilityin the business by promoting staffdevelopment which has improved ourservices to our clients, pupils and residents.We are meeting the training needs of thebusiness and we are setting higherstandards of care for the healthcare andeducation sectors.”

E-learning is used to complement orreplace classroom training which hasreduced the cost of training by five millionpounds since its launch in 2005. And thisestimate is on the conservative side.

Pre FFG, the ‘standard model’ for trainingat Priory was half-day classroom-basedtraining sessions, delivered by externalproviders, or Priory SMEs. Added to the costof trainer, venue and travel, the mostsignificant outlay by far was for backfill(cover) for delegates. Post-FFG, backfillcosts have been largely eliminated, as staffcomplete e-learning modules during quietperiods on shift. The e-learning is carefully

blended with other training channels, andin many cases provides brand newopportunities, in addition to existingformats.

FFG IS A USP

Whilst FFG has revolutionised training andsaved a fortune in the process, its valueand influence extends beyond thesebenefits. The quality, flexibility andscalability of e-learning supports theexisting business model and drives businessgrowth.

A critical component of Priory’s businessdevelopment is the acquisition of contractsto provide specialist healthcare andeducation services for Primary Care Trustsand local authorities. Contracts areawarded through competitive tender andFFG provides Priory with a unique sellingpoint in the bid process says commercialdevelopment manager, Sarah Keeton:“Foundations for Growth is always anintegral element of the bids that we submitto public sector organisations to securenew business.

”Clients require us to demonstrate ourapproach to learning and development andhow we use it to ensure service quality, aswell as personal and professionaldevelopment for our employees. FFG givesus an edge as it proves our commitment toquality and innovation.”

The Group is currently expanding into theelderly care sector through an ambitiousnine-month programme. It intends to opennine purpose-built seventy-bed carehomes, each employing up to one hundredstaff. Ensuring that new staff receive therequired mandatory and specialist trainingis key to effective expansion, and vital forthe new units to operate safely andeffectively from day one.

Bhavna Jones, managing director of Priory’sCare Homes Division: “When we open anew unit we have a huge training load toensure that all staff have appropriatecapabilities and comply with regulatoryrequirements. Only then can the home canbe registered by the Care QualityCommission. FFG provides an incrediblyflexible and straightforward means ofdelivering this core training. It’s intuitiveand easy to use for new staff, and allowsus to certify key training in the shortestpossible time.”

E-LEARNING IS THE FOUNDATION FOR GROWTH

E-learning is used to complement or replace classroom trainingwhich has reduced the cost of training by five million poundssince its launch in 2005. And this estimate is on theconservative side.

December 2009 Inside Learning Technologies 99

LESS RISK

A key driver for implementing FFG wasto reduce corporate risk by enhancing theconsistency and availability of mandatorytraining as well as the timeliness andaccuracy of compliance reporting toinspecting bodies.

FFG has reduced L&D actions followinginspection to virtually zero, and has wonpraise from the regulators. Its impact iscaptured by Sally Carmody, director ofoperations: “Monitoring compliance at allsites is easier, faster and more accurate.Before, all information was held locally,which increased the likelihood ofdisorganisation and mistakes. FFG hasreduced this risk and improved how thequality and compliance team operate.”

The widespread adoption of FFG has driventhe use of online technology across the

business. This has allowed the corporateculture to be embedded across a widelydistributed and rapidly expandingorganisation.

The vision and values of the organisationare literally written into the bespokelearning content, and best practice isshared consistently.

It is this penetration of Priory’s corporateculture that really signifies its success. In apeople- and care-based environment, thesensitive use of learning technologies hastransformed the business.

E-LEARNING IS THE FOUNDATION FOR GROWTH

100 Inside Learning Technologies December 2009

Dr Owen Rose is a Managing Partner atInformation Transfer and can becontacted at owen@intran.co.uk.

The widespread adoption of FFG has driven the use of onlinetechnology across the business. This has allowed the corporateculture to be embedded across a widely distributed and rapidlyexpanding organisation.