FDM’s holistic approach to consultant wellbeing and career development ensures long-term retention and continuity of key digital services, as outlined in this case study
Growing partnership opens further opportunities within NHS organisations.
NHS England’s Live Services directorate plays a pivotal role in ensuring the reliability and availability of critical digital and data services within the health and social care system. They needed skilled talent to keep their digital platforms running smoothly—but attracting and retaining junior professionals with niche expertise was challenging.
FDM’s bespoke solution delivered a ready-to-go, custom-skilled team within a tight timeframe, while building a sustainable talent pipeline ensuring a stronger digital workforce for the future.
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NHS England’s digital transformation relies on platforms like Digital Medicines, Digital Health Checks, and the Federated Data Platform to improve patient outcomes by streamlining medical services, data management, and communication. System malfunctions can result in increased workloads and patient safety risks. To maintain seamless operations, they required a scalable and sustainable pipeline of skilled professionals ready to make an immediate impact.
For the first phase, the client needed five Service Desk Analysts with ServiceNow, JIRA, and Confluence capability. However, sourcing junior talent with the required niche skills was challenging due to market perception and competition from the private sector.
Leveraging close relationships with top UK universities, FDM could offer a custom solution through targeted recruitment, with a degree-agnostic and CV-blind interview process, and broadened assessment criteria to ensure a diverse talent pool. Bespoke training would provide skills including, through a well-established partnership, official ServiceNow training and certification.
FDM’s holistic approach to consultant wellbeing and career development would ensure long-term retention and continuity.
The client’s hiring manager interviewed and selected analysts from a new FDM IT Operations cohort before intensive training just two months before the first phase delivery date. FDM Skills Lab Coaches collaborated closely to design a bespoke programme, aligning with NHS England’s digital and operational needs within the given timeframe.
To minimise on-site training, and ensure a smooth transition, the FDM Skills Lab developed a custom capabilities development sprint focusing on Confluence and Jira, covering key areas:
FDM successfully onboarded five ServiceNow certified Service Desk Analysts within NHS England’s live services directorate, ahead of timeline. Consultants immediately contributed to system reliability, service management, and incident prevention.
Consultant breadth of responsibilities
Three Band 7 Analysts worked on specific areas of support, and two more experienced consultants took on Band 8a Service Manager roles, looking at systems from a wider perspective.
With a high level of stakeholder management, consultants tracked project status and organised meetings to keep stakeholders informed and aligned.
Day-to-day responsibilities included:
Fostering retention
FDM Consultants seamlessly integrated into existing teams, fostering collaboration and professional relationships. Regular engagement and support structures reinforced loyalty, providing NHS England with a sustainable talent pipeline.
Building a partnership
Recognising FDM’s commitment to diversity and social mobility, the client valued our ability to design and deliver bespoke training solutions on demand.
With another 30 roles anticipated, this partnership continues to expand, opening further opportunities within NHS organisations.
