During the study we found that few therapists knew about the work of this programme or the products available. While there is a web-site housing many of these products, many therapists have little or no access to the Internet to make use of it. Now the NHS ETD are putting all past products onto a CD and while this will make it more accessible for some, the majority will still have problems with this medium. The NeLH is being developed so that accredited information can be accessed by professionals as well as the general public within 3 clicks of a mouse button and within 15 seconds. The 'top floor' of the NeLH is a training floor designed to enable health care workers to make full use of electronic resources.
Access is, again, the issue.
These centres are to support education providers to deliver pre and post graduate training in, or through, information and communication technology. Collaboration in developing skills and knowledge to enable professionals to take advantage of the Information Age. In addition there is the NHS ETD programme, funded solely by the NHS and the LTSNs funded by the Higher Education Funding Council. Three major initiatives, all with a remit to help people to gain skills and knowledge in, or through, information technology, but all three with a different funding source and no demonstrable links between them. In addition, the only one to support training and development to therapists outside the NHS is the LTSN which has a remit for Social Work and Social Care, and the LTSN which has a remit for Subjects Allied to Medicine.