E-learning, during the pandemic and beyond

As I write this editorial, we are at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The daily death toll remains high, and is not showing immediate signs of abating; we have just received news that the UK will be in lockdown for a further three weeks at least (BBC, 2020). NHS colleagues in hospitals and the community are working tirelessly, and selflessly, to save lives. Public admiration and gratitude for health workers and everyone in frontline, essential services has never been higher, and rightly so. The weekly throng of wooden spoons on pan lids, whistles, claps and cheers on Thursday evenings at 8 pm are testimony to our heartfelt thanks to these essential workers.

In these unusual and difficult times, we are challenged to think about new ways of working. Routine clinical work is as pressing as ever, and being delivered in different, often unfamiliar ways, and community nurses are expected to rapidly assimilate new information about how to manage and protect patients and themselves. We are turning to the internet, not only to keep in touch with each other and those we care for but also to learn and develop new skills.