ABSTRACT
The Open University first set the tone in the United Kingdom for distance learning in the 1960s, the potential to use technology to support learning has become widely used. There has been a rapid expansion in the use of e-learning in almost every aspect of teaching and education. E-learning focuses on the need of the learner rather than the organisation or institution. It improves access both geographically and in terms of real-time availability. Learners are able to explore a range of learning approaches and pace their own learning. Lifelong learning involves a commitment from National Health Service (NHS) employers to ensure that learning opportunities are made available to all staff to support their own development within the context of the work that they do. E-learning provides the potential to support this ambitious aim. There are a number of key areas where e-learning is already making an impact in the NHS.
