Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what training his Department provides on AI; and (a) how many hours and (b) what topics and skills are covered by such training.

As of June 2026, the Department has provided staff with access to a range of artificial intelligence (AI) learning and development opportunities through Civil Service Learning, the Department’s Learning Management System, and wider cross-Government learning initiatives. These include the Civil Service’s One Big Thing – AI for All programme, departmental guidance, and AI-related learning events and resources, and hands-on learning events for senior leaders to explore the practical application of AI tools in the workplace.

As AI learning is available through multiple platforms and channels, the Department does not hold a single centrally collated record of the total number of hours of AI training completed by staff.

The Department’s AI learning offer has included awareness activities and practical skills development covering topics such as:

• Microsoft Copilot, both introductory and advanced;

• agent building;

• Data and Ethics AI awareness;

• digital sustainability;

• prompt engineering;

• prompt engineering for statisticians;

• One Big Thing AI for All; and

• practical application of AI tools through hands-on learning sessions and demonstrations, including for senior leaders.

The Department’s recent Leadership Forum for all Senior Civil Servants (SCS) featured learning aimed at increasing the Department’s strategic approach, addressing the risks, and ensuring the ethical deployment of AI, alongside the expectations and leadership role of SCS in driving adoption.

These learning opportunities are designed to help staff and senior leaders build awareness of AI, develop practical skills, and use AI technologies safely, responsibly, and effectively in line with departmental policy and wider Government guidance.