How Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust reduced administrative burden and improved apprenticeship management processes with Conveya

Executive Summary

NHS Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) is a large NHS Trust, supporting a diverse and growing workforce. With over 450 apprentices enrolled in various programmes at any given time, managing and tracking their progress became a highly time-consuming and complex task. Faced with this challenge, NUH sought a solution to streamline apprenticeship management, reduce administrative workloads, and provide a more efficient, scalable platform for tracking progress and engaging training providers.

Conveya’s reporting tools and integrated platform provided the solution NUH needed to reduce manual administrative efforts, improve reporting accuracy, and enable better stakeholder engagement across the Trust.

The Challenge

As a large NHS Trust with a wide range of apprenticeship standards and numerous training providers, NUH faced considerable challenges in managing apprenticeship progress. The administrative burden was significant, requiring constant communication with multiple training providers and tracking a large volume of apprenticeship data. This process was highly manual and could result in inefficiencies, delays, and difficulty ensuring timely reporting and compliance.

The Trust also found that the sheer volume of email communication between the various stakeholders further complicated tracking and monitoring, leading to inaccuracies and a lack of real-time insight into apprenticeship progress.

The Solution 

Conveya provided NHS NUH with a comprehensive platform that consolidated all apprenticeship reporting into a single, streamlined system. The platform allowed for seamless engagement with training providers, reducing reliance on email communication and eliminating the need for multiple reporting formats. The easy-to-use reporting tools enabled the Trust to run, pull, and interrogate reports efficiently, saving time and increasing the accuracy of progress monitoring.

By centralising apprenticeship data and improving visibility, Conveya helped NUH focus on the development and growth of its apprenticeship programme while freeing up administrative staff to concentrate on more strategic tasks, such as stakeholder engagement and community outreach.

Key Benefits

• Streamlined Reporting: The platform consolidated all apprenticeship reporting into one format, reducing email traffic and simplifying report generation.

• Increased Accuracy: With real-time, centralised data, NUH improved the accuracy of progress reporting and was able to address issues more quickly.
• Reduced Administrative Burden: By automating key administrative tasks, Conveya helped NUH reduce reliance on manual processes, allowing staff to focus on strategic development and programme growth.
• Improved Stakeholder Engagement: The platform allowed for more meaningful engagement with training providers, stakeholders, and the wider community, supporting the Trust's efforts to grow and improve its apprenticeship offerings.

• Cost-Effective Solution: As part of the NHS long-term workforce plan, Conveya offered a cost-effective alternative to hiring additional administrative staff to manage the increasing workload.

The Results

Since adopting Conveya, NHS Nottingham University Hospitals has seen significant improvements in both administrative efficiency and apprenticeship management. Some key outcomes include:

• An average of 8 hours per week reduction in the administrative time spent on apprenticeship management.

• 30%  increase of apprenticeship progress reports received, enabling a consistent understanding of learner and programme performance.

• 22 training providers engaged with the new system, enhancing collaboration and reducing the need for constant manual communication.

Testimonial

"As a large acute NHS Trust who have around 450 apprentices on programme at any one time, the administrative burden is very time consuming. We have looked to Conveya to provide an effective and efficient platform that will reduce our reliance on manual administration. In reducing this aspect of Apprenticeship management we can then focus on developing our offer, engaging more stakeholders and reaching out to engage our community in the opportunities we have."

"One aspect of this administration relates to monitoring of apprentices on programme. We use a high number of training providers because we have a range of Apprenticeships standards in use. Engaging with these training providers and tracking our apprentices' progress is a particularly time-consuming area of programme management."

"By engaging them in using our chosen reporting tool we have reduced the amount of email traffic and have consolidated all of the reporting into one format. Reports are easy to run, pull off and interrogate. We’ve certainly seen an improvement in the accuracy of progress reporting and have picked up issues more quickly."

"Looking to the longer term, with the expansion of apprenticeships outlined in the NHS long-term workforce plan, Conveya was a cost-effective alternative to employing additional administrators to deal with the increasing workload. In these lean, financially restrictive times, it made sense."

"Reducing the administrative burden will not reduce the number of staff engaged in Apprenticeship administration, but it will allow them to focus on development, future-proofing our programmes, and allow us to spend more time on meaningful engagement." — Michelle Place, Apprenticeships & Widening Participation Lead, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust

Conclusion

NHS Nottingham University Hospitals has successfully leveraged Conveya’s reporting tools to reduce administrative burden, improve reporting accuracy, and enhance stakeholder engagement. As a result, the Trust is well-positioned to continue growing and developing its apprenticeship programmes, ensuring that it meets the goals set out in the NHS long-term workforce plan while maintaining a focus on quality and efficiency.

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