Automating HR Data into Totara, integration with PowerBi and the NHS ESR

UCLH (University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust), situated in the heart of London, is one of the largest NHS trusts in the United Kingdom and provides first-class acute and specialist services.

Our mission is to deliver top-quality patient care, excellent education and world-class research.

In partnership with University College London (UCL) we are one of the country’s five comprehensive biomedical research centres. We are a member of UCL Partners which brings together some of the UK’s world-renowned medical research centres and hospitals.

The Challenge

UCLH faced the challenge of maintaining up-to-date user data in Totara by synchronising it with the NHS ESR. This synchronization ensures accurate data into Power BI, which reflects CSTF mandatory training compliance on a daily basis.

The process involved manually extracting records from the NHS ESR for 16,000 staff. Subsequently extensive data cleansing, formatting and manual uploads into Totara were required, posing a high risk of errors due to human intervention.

Recognising the need for more streamlined solutions UCLH sought to integrate Totara with other internal systems. This aimed to automate the synchronization process, reduce manual intervention enhancing data accuracy.

By implementing an integrated system, UCLH ensures seamless data flow between ESR and Totara, facilitating real-time updates of staff data and enabling accurate reporting on CSTF training compliance. This strategic initiative not only mitigates the risk of error but also optimises operational efficiency.

The Solution

Working with the Workforce Intelligence team enabled a daily SQL report, which when combined with other internal data sources facilitates the full automation of data cleansing processes.

This approach ensures that records remain as accurate as possible, with user profiles linking to Totara Audiences to fully reflect assigned training based on the Core Skills Training Framework (CSTF), a mandatory requirement across the NHS.

To automate the upload of the report into Totara, UCLH partnered with Chambury Learning and implemented their automated HR import plugin. This integration enabled seamless data transfer each day ensuring that staff profiles in Totara were continuously updated with latest and accurate information from ESR.

This implementation eliminates the need for human intervention, thereby minimizing data entry errors and ensuring accuracy. By removing manual data entry and correction, integrity of the data was significantly enhanced. This also ensured that the extracts directly link back to Trust sources maintaining alignment with Trust structure and hierarchies.

Thus providing a reliable foundation for decision-making and compliance monitoring.
By leveraging reporting, UCLH could confidently generate data that accurately reflects the organisational hierarchy, facilitating informed decision-making at all levels of the organisation in relation to training and education.

Additionally, UCLH implemented Chambury’s bi-directional ESR automated interface that has been developed directly with NHS England, allowing for the transfer of CSTF (Mandatory Training) records for staff who had already achieved compliance at other NHS organisations. This further enhances the accuracy and completeness of staff training records within Totara and ensures that e.g. medical staff who have compliance from other NHS Trusts can deliver their duties without having to repeat compliance training increasing the time spent with patients.

By leveraging integrated solutions UCLH is able to export data from a PostGreSQL Replica database running alongside Totara into Power BI data reporting system. This enables senior managers across the organization to access live, accurate data, empowering informed decision-making and ensuring regulatory requirements were met effectively.

The Results

The implementation has had remarkable success for UCLH. Totara is now maintained daily with accurate user data, including precisely assigned CSTF training requirements aligned with roles. Managers benefit from an accurate depiction of their teams facilitating effective resource allocation.

Automation enables creation of new user accounts daily facilitaing onboarding processes that are six weeks ahead of start dates enhancing efficiency and reducing admin burden.

The ability to export training compliance data daily to Power BI empowers decision-makers with actionable insights. Real-time visibility into training compliance allows proactive interventions and ensures that regulatory requirements are met.

The successful implementation of these processes significantly improves data accuracy, operational efficiency and decision-making capabilities.

Establishment of a combined data source enabled the inclusion of key unique identifiers facilitating the reconciliation of users with central HR data. This capability supports seamless portability of training data ahead of new employees start dates enhancing the onboarding process ensuring a smoother transition for new employees.

This integration was particularly beneficial for medical & dental staff groups as they often rotate around the NHS. By reconciling users with ESR UCLH ensures that these staff are not required to repeat training they are already compliant in. This addressed a significant challenge streamlining onboarding processes for medical & dental staff, ultimately improving experiences and reducing administrative burdens.

The implementation of automated processes has resulted in significant time savings and operational efficiencies:

Reduced Admin Time: Automation has eliminated the need for manual data entry and reconciliation tasks hugely. This has freed up administrative resources allowing staff to focus on more strategic initiatives.
Elimination of Redundant Training: New employees who have completed training at other NHS organisations no longer need to repeat training they have completed within the required frequency. This ensures a more efficient onboarding and avoids unnecessary duplication.

Enhanced Compliance Reporting: With automation compliance data exported into Power BI enabling the creation of live report dashboards, saving time and also provides real-time insights into compliance data, with more informed decision-making and proactive interventions.

Overall, these improvements demonstrate the transformative impact of automation on operational efficiency and compliance management at UCLH.