NHS finds the right formula with Multiply

NHS staff got their heads around spreadsheets thanks to Multiply’s ‘Excel for the Workplace’ course.

Grŵp Llandrillo Menai’s Multiply team held classes for health professionals across Conwy, Denbighshire, Gwynedd and Ynys Môn over a three-week period at an NHS unit in Parc Menai, Bangor.

Tutor Stephen Jones covered mathematical operations, ordering and graphs, conditional formulas and more - all tailored to a healthcare setting.

The classes were organised after Nicola Meades, senior project practitioner for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, reached out to Multiply.

She said: “I've worked with Excel for quite a while and tend to use it every time I need to do some data collection. But I've got a lot of colleagues who are not comfortable using it, so I've been looking for a long time for Excel training.

“I was told by the Multiply team, ‘We can basically adapt it to what you need’. So there was that flexibility there, and then they said, ‘We can come to you if it's easier’, which again just make it even easier.

“You would have thought that nurses wouldn't need Excel. But it is very relevant and it's very important, and Stephen adapted it to suit nursing.”

Despite having used Excel for a long time, Nicola said the classes taught her more effective ways of using the software.

She added: “Stephen was able to manage our skill levels and teach us all effectively. So it was really good, he was fantastic.

“He was a very, very supportive teacher and was very calm and he was completely able to pitch at the right level, depending on who he was teaching at the time. And I think that was a very good example of an adult teacher.

“All those who came to it were just absolutely thrilled. I'm so glad it was so well delivered in a nice, easy to understand way, and it's really helped people to gain that confidence with their numbers.”

Clare Hookham, NHS Health Protection Service team manager, said: “Excel is just one of those tools where you end up thinking, ‘How on earth do the numbers in this work?’

“There's a lot of maths elements. The simple stuff I can do, whereas it’s the more complex stuff where I end up saying ‘I need help with this’.

“This course has taken me further than I ever expected to go with Excel. After this, I'll be able to do a lot more of it myself.”

Multiply tutor Stephen Jones said he was glad to be able to give back to the NHS, saying: “It was a pleasure to work with the learners today on our 'Excel for workplace' course. We have been able to raise their confidence in using Excel (and some maths) both casually and professionally.

“It gives me a personal satisfaction to help the NHS back after a difficult period for them over the last few years. We are looking forward to seeing them use what they've learned, and help others in the NHS who might struggle in numeracy or spreadsheets.”

Multiply was funded by the UK Government through the Shared Prosperity Fund. Grŵp Llandrillo Menai led on the Multiply project in Conwy, Denbighshire, Gwynedd and Ynys Môn since its inception in September 2023, helping adults improve their confidence with numbers in everyday life.

Building on the Multiply project, Potensial, Grŵp Llandrillo Menai’s lifelong learning brand, is engaging with local primary schools across North Wales as part of a family learning programme supporting parents to help their children with homework. The family learning programme is also offering courses including cookery and budgeting.

For more information, visit the Potensial page, or contact:

• Gwynedd and Anglesey: communitymenai@gllm.ac.uk 01248 370 125
• Conwy and Denbigh: enquiries.cdpotensial@gllm.ac.uk 01492 546 666