HI Career Framework - Other Frameworks

There are a variety of other Frameworks that sit alongside and complement the Health Informatics Career Framework. In order to clarify these relationships this section discusses these other frameworks and their relationship with HICF.

Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF)

The Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) defines and describes the general knowledge and skills which NHS staff (except doctors and dentists) need to apply in their work to deliver quality services. It provides a single, consistent, comprehensive and explicit framework on which review and development of all staff is based.

The main purpose of the KSF is to support the effective learning and development of individuals, with all staff being supported to learn throughout their careers. The KSF has been used to develop a KSF Post outline for the majority of posts in the NHS. The KSF Post Outlines set out the actual requirements of a post in terms of the knowledge and skills that need to be applied when the post is being undertaken effectively.

The HICF gives an indication of possible career progression within the Health Informatics domain. It is not confined to the NHS and applies to anyone working within this arena. The KSF provides a model for personal development in the workplace, but it does not focus on career progression in any specific domain. It is a general model of knowledge and skills, and not always as specific as practitioners would like.

The HICF is underpinned by competences (National Occupational Standards) and these competences are linked to the KSF. These are recognised links in accordance with work done by Skills for Health. The HICF enables individuals to review how they may progress in their careers. In order to do this they will need to implement personal development within the workplace. The KSF supports such personal development and is linked to Agenda for Change. In addition, the National Occupational Standards can support such development. The way in which individuals learn and develop may also be supported by other approaches (e.g. courses, qualifications, Professional Bodies). So there are a variety of options which will be selected, based on requirements at a local level.

In summary, the KSF provides a model for individual development in the NHS, whilst the HICF provides a description of career progression. The KSF could therefore be used as the basis for learning and development to support career progression, but does not give the specific on how this may happen.

Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA)

The Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA) provides a common reference model for the identification of the skills needed to develop effective Information Systems (IS) making use of Information & Communications Technology (ICT).

SFIA enables employers of IT professionals to carry out a range of HR activities against a common framework of reference - including skill audit, planning future skill requirements, development programmes, standardisation of job titles and functions, and resource allocation.

The HICF gives an indication of possible career progression across the entire Health Informatics domain and is not confined to ICT Staff. The HICF also focuses on the competences (National Occupational Standards) that are required for the role, rather than purely skills. The definition of occupational competence relates to the ability to:

carry out the tasks for the role
manage these tasks
deal with any contingencies that may arise
deal effectively with the context of the working environment

Both the National Occupational Standards and the SFIA framework can be used to support personal development within the workplace. However, the National Occupational Standards are more a competence based approach, whilst SFIA is a skills based approach. The choice of approach at a local level will depend on needs and preferences at a local level, however, the National Occupational Standards provide a common currency for the whole of Health Informatics, something which SFIA doesn't do.

For users of the HICF who are also interested in using SFIA, the relevant ICT roles have been mapped to SFIA to show the skills required this may be viewed by clicking on the link below.

HICFv2 to SFIAv4 – Mapping Document

The Career Framework for Health (Skills for Health)

The Career Framework for Health developed by Skills for Health provides a guide on the implementation of flexible careers enabling an individual member of staff with transferable, competence-based skills to progress in a direction that meets workforce, service and individual needs. It balances elements required for national consistency with maximum flexibility for health organisations.

The HICF has been designed to complement the Career Framework for Health. The HICF is based on exactly the same approach as the Career Framework for Health. In this way the two career frameworks dove tail together and can ultimately show career pathways into, and out of, Health Informatics from the wider health sector. Both frameworks use the common currency of National Occupational Standards to describe the competences that are required for specific roles. Furthermore, both career frameworks can help individuals plan their own career development and profile, and also plan the workforce need in a department or organisation.

At this time the main difference between the two career frameworks is that the Career Framework for Health concentrates more on clinical roles, and less on the Health Informatics roles. The Health Informatics roles are picked up in the HICF. In this sense the HICF can be seen as a bespoke career framework for the Health Informatics community.

Public Health Skills and Career Framework

The Public Health Skills and Career Framework has been developed for Public Health professionals to use across the UK. It includes public health competences, underpinning knowledge, training and qualification routes, registration requirements and a database of job descriptions across nine career levels. The aim is to create a framework that can be used as a route map for careers in public health, regardless of starting and intended end points.

The Public Health Skills and Career Framework has a similar approach to the HICF, but is intended for public health staff. There may be some overlap in the skills required for information management and analysis, but the roles covered by both frameworks are quite different.

NHS Leadership Qualities Framework

The NHS Leadership Qualities Framework has been developed specifically for the NHS and sets the standard for outstanding leadership in the service. It describes the qualities expected of existing and aspiring leaders both now and in the future. The framework can be used across the NHS to underpin leadership development, for individuals, teams and organisations.

There are fifteen qualities listed in the NHS Leadership Qualities Framework covering a range of personal, cognitive and social qualities. This model differs to the National Occupational Standards included in the HICF which use a competence based approach, focussing on the outcomes of performance within the workplace. Having said this, the NHS Leadership Qualities Framework has been mapped to a number of senior roles included in the HICF. This will enable senior HI staff interested in using the NHS Leadership Qualities Framework to support personal development.

For users of the HICF who are also interested in implementing the NHS Leadership Qualities Framework the relevant mapping may be viewed by clicking on the link below.

HICFv2 and the NHS Leadership Qualities Framework

Professional Bodies and Associations

Many Professional Bodies and Associations (e.g. UKCHIP, CILIP) relevant to Health Informatics practitioners have their own knowledge and skills frameworks. These usually describe what members of the profession must know and be able to do in order to practice. The HICF links to relevant Professional Bodies and Associations through the section called 'relevant standards' in each of the roles.