Multiverse, the AI upskilling platform, and Palantir, a leading provider of AI-enabled software, are partnering to upskill staff on the use of the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP) across the NHS. Together, the organisations will launch new, FDP-specific apprenticeship programmes, equipping staff with the critical AI and data skills needed to improve patient care and operational efficiency.

The NHS FDP, which is supplied by Palantir, connects vital data which is currently stored in separate systems, enabling staff to access the information they need in one safe and secure environment, and use it to improve how they work and deliver care for patients. It is currently delivering benefits such as more operations and quicker discharge in 77 NHS Trusts, with a further 73 signed up to the programme, along with 41 Integrated Care Boards.

This strategic partnership will leverage Multiverse’s proven capabilities in digital skills training to help NHS staff unlock the full potential of the NHS FDP to increase operations, improve care, drive up efficiency and drive down waiting lists. It marks a commitment to putting staff training at the heart of FDP implementation and broader healthcare data initiatives for patient benefit.

“To truly unlock the power of the NHS Federated Data Platform, the NHS needs a workforce that is confident and skilled in using data and AI,” said Euan Blair, Founder & CEO at Multiverse. “This partnership isn't just about implementing new technology, it's about investing in the people who will use it every day to make a tangible difference to patient care. We're proud to be a part of this crucial step in the NHS's digital evolution, deepening our existing relationship with the NHS.”

"The NHS FDP is already improving care for patients while cutting paperwork for doctors and nurses,” said Louis Mosley, Executive Vice President, UK and Europe at Palantir. “It has delivered 80,000 additional operations and reduced discharge delays by 15 per cent, while the Government is forecasting that it is on track to deliver £150 million of benefits each year by the end of the decade.”

“Now we need to double down on training to keep driving up the number of NHS staff who are trained on the technology – and this partnership will be central to that.”

Multiverse and Palantir will collaborate to create a suite of new apprenticeship programmes featuring training on the FDP, with the first cohorts launching in February 2026. The curriculum will be tailored to the unique needs of a diverse range of NHS roles, including analysts, administrators, managers and clinical staff. With a focus on practical, applied learning, the programmes will help NHS organisations implement the FDP directly into their work.

By further investing in the skills of its workforce, the NHS will reap the benefits of its technological investments, leading to improved operational workflows, more efficient resource allocation, and a tangible impact on patient health. This partnership represents a significant step towards unlocking the full potential of AI and data to support the NHS and its mission to deliver world-class care.

Together, in collaboration with NHS HR, Apprenticeship & Workforce professionals, we've successfully upskilled hundreds of NHS staff members across 100 NHS Trusts. This isn't just a number: it represents a fundamental transformation in how healthcare is delivered, from the frontline to the back office, as staff gain the confidence and expertise to harness the power of technology.

Our partnership was born with the aim of empowering existing NHS staff to drive innovation from within. In a sector with increasing demands and shrinking resources, data and AI present a much needed solution to a growing problem.

“Data more so than ever is a critical commodity in the NHS to support decision making, driving more efficient and effective outcomes for patients. We partnered with Multiverse to upskill our community in data science specialisms, and over the past 18 months, we’ve seen apprentices directly apply their learnings to deliver real results.”

Barbara Begg
Head of Central Commercial Function – Commercial Capability at NHS England

"We identified digital literacy as a key learning need early on, and our partnership with Multiverse supported us in addressing it through high-quality apprenticeships. The Multiverse team has always been responsive and collaborative, making it easy to support learners and keep momentum going.”

Roxanne Moran
Talent, Learning and Development Manager at National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

Apprentices are already putting their new skills to use, building innovative solutions that transform their work.

At Royal Free London NHS Foundation, an administrator migrated patient management processes to a digital system, doubling the daily department case load from 30 to 60 patients and reducing wait times from more than 30 minutes, to only 10.

Meanwhile at Medway Foundation Trust, an endoscopy nurse built a Power BI dashboard to automate the theatre audit processes, reducing delays, minimising errors and enhancing resource allocation.

None of this would have been possible without the hard work of HR, Apprenticeship & Workforce professionals across the NHS, who have supported learners to achieve these incredible results, in partnership with senior executive leadership teams.

"The NHS has the highest potential to benefit from technology of any institution in the UK, and its commitment to upskilling its people with the digital and AI skills needed for the future is a testament to its leadership,” said Euan Blair, Founder and CEO at Multiverse. “We've been consistently inspired by the apprentices and the leadership teams who have championed them—they are the true innovators, driving change to make a tangible difference in patient care and operational efficiency."

“Working with Multiverse has been seamless from our very first conversation. The team is responsive, supportive and willing to adapt to our needs as an organisation. Multiverse has also been very effective at understanding our strategic objectives, ensuring our apprenticeships have maximum impact to improve our processes, and ultimately, the delivery of care.”

Samantha Ibison
Apprenticeship and Employability Lead at Leeds & York NHS Trust

We really have enjoyed working with Multiverse – they’re engaged, responsive, and flexible to the changing (and sometimes conflicting!) needs of a big organisation like ours. The apprenticeships have been really popular and are clearly helping us meet the needs of our workforce. We’re excited to continue our partnership with Multiverse and to see the lasting impact it will have on our staff and the care we provide to patients.”

Susana Lucena-Amaro
Associate Director for Learning & Development and Apprenticeships at Barts Health NHS Trust

By equipping the NHS workforce with the latest digital and AI skills, Multiverse is not only helping individuals grow their careers but also empowering the entire healthcare system to become more efficient, innovative, and resilient.

The staff Multiverse has trained are now the data champions, the digital pioneers and the AI innovators who are helping to make the NHS more ready for the challenges of tomorrow.

Add AI into the mix and the opportunity grows even larger. But a complex ecosystem of legacy technology and workforce skills gaps makes transformation a challenge.

The NHS is investing in updated IT systems, including a £1.5 billion NHS framework to support the analogue to digital switch, but enduring change goes beyond new hardware.

To achieve tangible benefits and ROI, the NHS workforce needs the critical skills to implement digital systems and AI effectively.

The role of digital skills in the NHS

Today, all NHS employees – clinical, administrative, or otherwise – are expected to be data consumers, whether using dashboards, filing electronic patient records, or communicating using a patchwork of online systems. As a result, all roles now need a baseline level of digital literacy.

Yet, when some hear words like digital, AI and upskilling, all they hear are buzzwords.

Upskilling in critical digital, data and AI skills translates into greater productivity, which in turn, results in a better standard of patient care.

Let's explore stories of tangible, employee-led change happening at NHS trusts across the country.

Improving data visibility at Barts Health NHS Trust

Apprentice role: Data Analyst, Transfer of Care Hub

Barts Health NHS Trust launched a data and digital academy with Multiverse to help drive efficiency gains and improve patient experience.

A Data Analyst on the apprenticeship programme used her skills to build a central dashboard that monitors compliance levels and key performance indicators in the Transfer of Care Hub.

The dashboard streamlines access to critical data for the entire team, saving two hours per week in the creation of data packs and ad-hoc reports. By identifying and resolving data quality issues, the learner has also enabled more reliable reporting and the development of targeted interventions.

Today, the hub enjoys streamlined access to data that helps them understand performance and areas for improvement. New automations save each team member between 30 minutes and one hour per day, freeing their time to focus on patient care.

Minimising waiting times at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust

Apprentice role: Administrator, Adult Assessment Unit

The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust partnered with Multiverse to improve data literacy within data teams, supporting the Trust’s strategy to become a data-driven organisation.

One learner was an administrator in the Adult Assessment Unit at Barnet Hospital’s emergency department. He felt the unit could be made more efficient by migrating paper-based patient management processes to a digital Electronic Health Record (EHR).

The learner used skills acquired from his apprenticeship to map the patient journey and demonstrate how it could be improved.

He consulted with small focus groups comprising employees across the unit to iterate and ensure the new solution delivered value to every user.

Today, the digital tool enables efficient, end-to-end patient management for the unit.

For instance, patient sign-ins automatically trigger arrival notifications for the relevant clinicians, and test results are sent digitally instead of being printed and physically distributed.

Digitalisation has helped double the daily department caseload from 30 to 60 patients and reduce waiting times from over 30 minutes to 10 minutes.

For his efforts, the learner has earned a well-deserved promotion to Data Coordinator.

Improving theatre audits at Medway NHS Foundation Trust

Apprentice role: Band 5 Endoscopy Nurse

The Endoscopy Unit at Medway NHS Foundation Trust faced inefficiencies and delays in decision-making due to time-consuming, paper-based processes.

An Endoscopy Nurse, Joy Onuoha, applied the data skills she learnt on the Multiverse apprenticeship programme to develop a Power Business Intelligence (BI) dashboard that automated the theatre audit processes.

Joy integrated multiple data sources and designed interactive visualisations to track critical metrics, delivering real-time insights to inform the unit’s decision-making.

Automating the process has led to reducing delays and minimising errors, and enhanced resource allocation for clinical sisters so they can focus on what they do best – delivering high-quality care to patients.

In acknowledgement of her work to streamline data collection, Joy recently received a Chief Nursing Officer’s Award for Most Innovative Nurse.

Joy said: “This achievement wouldn’t have been possible without the skills, knowledge, and confidence I gained through the Multiverse fellowship. Learning about data analytics, visualisation, and automation has empowered me to identify clinical inefficiencies and implement data-driven solutions."

Since completing the apprenticeship, Joy has been promoted to the role of Clinical Practice Facilitator.

Upskilling initiatives empower the NHS

Across trusts, hospitals, and all other healthcare organisations, upskilling is delivering tangible value to the NHS. Employees aren’t just building digital, data and AI skills for the future, they’re applying them within their roles to deliver real benefits operationally and, importantly, the patients in their care.

Multiverse is empowering every NHS employee to unlock innovation and improve patient care through our applied learning programmes. Discover more

Article originally featured in HSJ Online