The NHS Scotland Finance Academy is delighted to announce the launch of its first Specialist Skills programme, bringing together finance professionals from across NHS Scotland to build practical capability in automation and artificial intelligence.
Designed for post-qualified finance staff, the inaugural programme focuses on Automation and AI in Finance and forms a key part of the Finance Academy's ambition to develop future-ready finance professionals equipped to support innovation, improve efficiency and strengthen decision-making across the NHS Scotland Finance community.
Developing future-ready finance skills
As finance teams operate in an increasingly digital environment, automation and AI are creating new opportunities to streamline processes, improve insight and support better outcomes. The Specialist Skills programme has been designed to help participants understand these opportunities and apply them confidently within their roles.
The programme combines expert-led learning, self-paced study and facilitated action learning to support participants as they move from understanding the fundamentals of AI and automation to identifying practical opportunities within NHS finance.
A practical six-module learning journey
The programme follows a structured six-module pathway, designed to build knowledge, confidence and practical application over time:
Finance in a digital world
AI Literacy for Finance
Working Effectively with AI Tools
AI Across the Finance Lifecycle
From Use Case to Delivery
Adoption, Benefits and Next Steps
Participants will also take part in dedicated action learning sessions, providing opportunities to share challenges, explore real-world use cases and learn from colleagues across NHS Scotland.
Learning through real NHS finance challenges
A key focus of the programme is practical application. Rather than concentrating solely on technology, the curriculum explores how automation and AI can support finance professionals in areas such as forecasting, reporting, controls, decision support, process improvement and financial sustainability. Participants will be encouraged to identify opportunities within their own teams and consider how new technologies can be adopted safely, responsibly and effectively.
The programme also recognises the importance of data quality, governance, human oversight and professional judgement, ensuring that participants develop a balanced understanding of both the opportunities and responsibilities associated with AI-enabled finance.
Supporting the future of NHS Scotland finance
The Specialist Skills programme forms part of the wider NHS Scotland Finance Academy learning offer, alongside the Band 6-8B Development Programme and Academy-wide learning events. Together, these initiatives are designed to develop capability across the finance profession and support the delivery of a modern, innovative and sustainable finance function.
We look forward to following the progress of the inaugural cohort and sharing insights, experiences and outcomes from the programme over the coming months.