9. Ming Tang, Chief Data and Analytics Officer, NHS England

I have developed a programme to improve use of data focused on three key areas, our data and analytics workforce; business users and development of advanced analytics. 

Firstly, for our data and analyst workforce, we have developed a competency model to better understand the skills of the workforce and are creating a data and analytics academy to improve skills and provide competency related learning that is orientated to career paths. As data and analytical skills are applied roles, we are building in experiential learning and development with support on the job, as well as online and action learning in groups. 

Secondly, for business users of data and analysis, we are experimenting with artificial intelligence (AI) to explore how users can better interact with data assets and dashboards that are already available. Development of AI enabled navigation of existing assets, using AI navigator that uses large language models (LLM) to support users to facilitate navigation to the correct place and page for pre-set analysis and improve user experience. Using LLMs so that users can ask the digital assistant to interrogate the data models to answer specific questions and to create new visualisations. The importance of the two-stage approach, is to help business users, firstly understand what is already available and to familiarise and support the user towards self-service. This will also encourage the business users to work with analysts and develop more informed questions, that can then use to train the AI and LLM in the background. We anticipate that the approach will lead to better adoption and more experiential learning between the business user and the analytical workforce.  

Finally, for advance analytics, we are also in the process of developing a digital twin of the NHS, so that we can create better predictive analytical models and tools to support planning and scenario management. A digital twin will provide the capability for simulation and in future should provide the basis for operational decision support tools that can be used as part of a workflow for optimisation. We also completed the procurement of a new data platform; this is a major investment providing a foundational capability to allow the NHS to experiment with AI at scale. From the pilot work, we need to do more on ethical considerations from AI and look at development of a segmentation model for different usecases. I would like us to have a clear operating model to support AI usecase assessment. I am keen that we co-develop with users a set of AI augmentation tools for operational and strategic decision support. All this work will require training and development of our teams to provide best outcomes from adoption of AI with concurrent evaluation, so that we learn, iterate, and continuously improve our capability.