Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, which covers much of Hampshire and beyond, is working with eLearning specialist Sponge UK to develop the modules covering a range of topics including health and safety, infection-prevention control, safeguarding, and the Mental Health Act.

Southern Health is believed to be one of the first NHS Trusts of its kind to provide eLearning relating to the receipt and scrutiny of statutory forms under the Mental Health Act. The innovative eLearning modules will incorporate games, video, and workplace scenarios to make them as engaging and effective as possible.

Moving aspects of essential training online will help cut down on the amount of time Trust staff spend travelling to face-to-face training sessions and free up more time for patient care.

Associate Director for Education at Southern Health, Bobby Moth, said, “Our aim is to provide a high-quality, engaging, and flexible training experience where staff want to learn, which also allows us to give back more time to frontline clinical care.

"We’re hoping that something in the region of 3,500 classroom attendances plus associated travel time will be freed up as a result of these new eLearning modules, so you can see the impact this could have, in terms of giving back more time for staff to spend with patients."

The eLearning is aimed at around 7,500 staff including doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, health visitors, and support workers who deliver services from over 200 sites.

Managing Director of Sponge UK, Louise Pasterfield, said, "Southern Health is leading the way in terms of training innovation for health professionals. The modules are highly interactive and will set new standards in terms of the overall learning experience for staff. By using the latest game techniques, the training will be bought to life in a fun and engaging way, and help to reinvigorate attitudes to workplace learning."

The new eLearning is currently in production and is due to be rolled out to staff later this year.