Empowering the Healthcare Digital Workforce with Microsoft 365
The Potential Benefits for the NHS Digital Workforce Strategy Through Adoption of Microsoft 365 Viva Communities and Copilot AI.
With the UK Government reporting on their adoption progress of Microsoft 365, another major sector to explore is the potential for the NHS.
It’s a scenario that emphasizes just how powerful this technology can be, as they face challenges of both complexity and scale, that AI and collaboration can address.
Health care work is extremely demanding and deals with vast, very sophisticated bodies of knowledge. The need for highly skilled employees is a steep challenge. In this guide we explore the potential for Copilot Ai and Viva Communications and Communities to offer a platform to help meet these challenges.
Ai Empowered Communities of Practice
The headline theme is ‘Ai Empowered Communities of Practice’, referring to Communities of Practice (CoPs) where groups of individuals who share a profession or interest and collaborate to develop expertise, share knowledge, and improve skills, and further enhancing this model with AI capabilities.
For the NHS in the UK, CoPs are vital for addressing the Long Term Workforce Plan’s goals of upskilling staff, fostering collaboration, and enhancing digital literacy to support AI and technology adoption. Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft 365 Viva, integrated within the NHS’s N365 agreement, provide a robust platform for enabling CoPs focused on skills development.
Sharepoint and Viva
First the building block is a ‘social intranet’, equipped with tools to engage and support employees, for which Microsoft 365 offers Sharepoint and Viva Engage, an enterprise social networking platform within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, designed to enhance employee engagement and communication. It connects employees across an organization through communities, conversations, and knowledge-sharing features.
AI-powered knowledge management, via Viva Topics, organizes enterprise content into accessible hubs, reducing time spent searching for information.
Modules such as Viva Connections provide a personalized, centralized hub within Microsoft Teams, already widely used in the NHS for collaboration. NHS organizations can deploy Viva Connections to deliver tailored dashboards for staff, offering quick access to critical resources like clinical guidelines, trust policies, and patient safety protocols. For example, frontline workers, such as nurses and paramedics, can access shift schedules, trust news, and role-specific tools directly in Teams, reducing administrative burden and fostering a sense of inclusion across
trusts, CCGs, and health informatics services.
Employee Experience and AI Transformation
Next we can consider the enhancement of these capabilities with AI, and the potential value of these new applications to an organization like the NHS can be summed up through this combination: Employee Experience and AI Transformation, defined in this Microsoft report.
In short, how can technology improve the workplace for staff, how can this translate into productivity gains for the organization overall, and how can this be accelerated through the adoption of AI. The report explores how employee experience platforms (EXPs) like Microsoft Viva facilitate enterprise AI adoption:
Role of EXPs in AI Transformation: EXPs integrate AI into daily workflows, improving employee productivity, engagement, and collaboration. Microsoft Viva is highlighted as a leading EXP, embedding AI-driven tools (e.g., Copilot) within Microsoft 365 to streamline tasks and enhance decision-making. In the NHS context, this aligns with the Long Term Workforce Plan’s emphasis on digital literacy and AI adoption, enabling staff to leverage AI for tasks like clinical documentation or workforce analytics.
Driving AI Adoption Through Employee Engagement: The report emphasizes that engaged employees are more likely to adopt AI tools. Viva’s modules (e.g., Connections, Engage) foster a culture of collaboration and communication, making staff more receptive to AI innovations. For the NHS, Viva’s AI-enhanced features, like personalized dashboards or community posts generated by SharePoint AI Agents, can boost engagement among 1.4 million staff, encouraging adoption of AI tools like diagnostic algorithms or telehealth platforms.
Upskilling and Learning: AI transformation requires upskilling employees to use AI effectively. Viva Learning integrates with AI to deliver personalized training, such as courses on AI applications or data analytics, sourced from platforms like LinkedIn Learning or internal libraries. For the NHS, SharePoint AI Agents can enhance Viva Learning by generating role-specific training content (e.g., AI-driven EHR tutorials for clinicians), supporting the Topol Review’s call for digital skills development.
AI Empowered Communities of Practices
Viva’s integration with Microsoft 365, including SharePoint and Teams, ensures seamless AI deployment across enterprises. The report highlights scalability, with AI tools like Copilot embedded in familiar platforms, reducing adoption barriers.
AI-powered knowledge management, via Viva Topics, organizes enterprise content into accessible hubs, reducing time spent searching for information. The report notes that AI can surface relevant insights, improving decision-making.
The report links AI-driven insights to improved employee well-being, noting that platforms like Viva Insights use AI to analyze work patterns and suggest interventions (e.g., reducing after-hours work). This supports retention by addressing burnout.
