Fixing outdated approaches to training is critical to safe maternity care: enter Upskill.Health
Upskill.Health is an innovative mobile and virtual reality (VR)-based learning platform designed to provide midwives with bite-sized training that is accessible on demand and ‘in the flow of work.’
In this case study, founder Andrew Darby-Smith reflects on how Upskill.Health is addressing the urgent need to scale access to high-quality, on-the-job training in maternity services.
The connection between training and patient safety
The 2023-2024 CQC State of Care report found 65% of NHS maternity units are not safe for women to give birth in, whilst repeated national inquiries have concluded that improving on-the-job training for NHS maternity staff is essential to improve safety. In 2023, NHS England responded by mandating a new curriculum for all NHS maternity services in England. However, NHS Trusts are struggling to deliver this vital training, primarily due to the implications of releasing staff, including unmanageable rota gaps and high costs.
At Upskill.Health, we’re delivering bitesize training for NHS maternity staff, which is specifically designed to be completed ‘in the flow’ of clinical work. By re-imagining the way we deliver on-the-job training, we can ensure all staff get access to the quality training that they need to deliver great care, within the constraints placed on NHS Trusts.
A new approach
As an NHS anaesthetist with a background in medical education, I became increasingly frustrated with the barriers to delivering quality on-the-job training to staff working on a busy labour ward.
Despite us all knowing that training is important, the methods we have available just don’t suit our clinical environment; staff are too busy and hard to co-ordinate; there’s never enough time, space or equipment for simulation training; and e-learning is too long and monotonous.
It was clear we needed a new approach. In Summer 2024, Upskill.Health was founded with the commitment to supercharge training for the NHS workforce.
However, proposing a new approach to an established problem in the NHS is a challenge. You need to work in close collaboration with NHS clinicians, decision makers and sceptics throughout. I remain extremely thankful for the support we’ve received from multiple stakeholders, who have championed our vision for the future of NHS training.
Putting real women at the heart of maternity training
We were awarded Innovate UK funding in May 2024 and have since partnered with Coventry and Warwickshire ICS to co-design the first version of our platform.
We have collaborated directly with frontline NHS midwives and local women wishing to share their lived experience of maternity services. As a result, the training not only integrates real-life experiences but is also representative of local challenges.
This represents a shift in conventional methods of maternity training, transforming the topic-focused NHS England curriculum into case-based learning. Our platform combines mobile-based micro-tutorials, fully-immersive virtual reality (VR) simulation training and ‘conversational simulation’ scenarios. NHS midwives are able to have voice-to-voice consultations with an AI-powered digital avatar, trained on the lived experience of a real-life, local woman. This brings the mandated training to life, grounding the theory in reality. Our platform not only provides essential training, but also connects NHS midwives to the women they are caring for in their local community.
In May, 200 NHS midwives will be piloting our platform in a multi-centre study. We aim to demonstrate the training benefits for NHS midwives, engagement benefits for local women and ability to deliver in-year training cost savings for NHS Trusts.
Accelerating FemTech as a testbed for developing platforms
The Accelerating FemTech programme has been a fantastic opportunity for Upskill.Health. We’ve received expert guidance and critique, but most importantly, a sense of community from other, like-minded founders working to improve women’s healthcare in the NHS.
The programme has involved a mix of residential workshops, online expert tutorials and informal guidance, as well as 1-to-1 business coaching and mentorship. The variety of support on offer has helped us to make the most of our ideas and early engagement with NHS partners. As an early-stage company, this has particularly helped in planning for our evaluation study and ‘stress testing’ areas of our approach ahead of launching.
The additional opportunity to apply for a closed call feasibility funding opportunity through Innovate UK’s Biomedical Catalyst is also fantastic. It has been helpful to have support from the Accelerating FemTech team to design and draft our application ahead of the submission deadline.
I’d definitely recommend Accelerating FemTech to any other early-stage founders working in women’s health. The combination of technical guidance, stakeholder engagement and route to grant funding is an incredibly powerful offer.
Next steps
There is a significant opportunity to revolutionise the way NHS maternity staff receive training, improving both their professional development and patient safety. Upskill.Health is committed to transforming on-the-job training by offering accessible, bite-sized learning through mobile and virtual reality solutions. As we continue to innovate and refine our platform, we invite collaboration from those who share our vision for improving healthcare.
Upskill.Health is part of Accelerating FemTech. Cohort two of the programme runs from November 2024 to March 2025.
Accelerating FemTech is delivered by the Health Innovation Network (HIN) South London, DigitalHealth.London and partners from across the UK. It utilises Innovate UK funding as part of the Biomedical Catalyst, in collaboration with the Medical Research Council.
