E-learning is now an established and increasingly popular way of delivering training and education in the NHS and is used particularly widely in information technology. To get the full benefits from e-learning, however, it needs to be developed and delivered skilfully.

This E-Health Insider feature, supported by Teknical, offers a guide to current trends in e-learning, practical advice on choosing e-learning packages and some sources of further information.

There's nothing more powerful than seeing how ideas can be put into action so we have also included an e-learning case study from the North East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire Workforce Development Confederation. This shows how a managed learning environment is being created across 18 trusts to share and track e-learning as well as traditional forms of training delivery.

At a time when IT training needs are at the top of many managers' agendas, we hope this feature will provide a timely guide to using e-learning as an important part of the training mix in the NHS.

E-learning for the NHS The decision to scrap the NHSU in June last year may have been welcomed by those who supported the government's aim of reducing the number of quangos, but the reasons for setting it up in the first place are still important. Now there will not be a national e-learning platform, many SHAs and other NHS organisations are reviewing and developing separate e-learning strategies. E-learning - a rising trend If your organisation is not using e-learning yet, there's a fair chance that it will be in the next 12 months. This is the prediction of the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development whose annual surveys of training and development have been tracking general trends in e-learning in the UK for some time. Identifying best practice in e-learning How can managers and users identify high quality e-learning and ensure that training fits their needs?

North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire WDC (NEYNL) "This ground-breaking innovative project will introduce e-learning into the grass roots, reaching all NHS staff employed within the NEYNL WDC."

E-Health Insider is published by E-Health Media Ltd