FAQs

Below you will find some answers to frequently asked questions about the 'Alcohol Identification and Brief Advice' e-learning course.

If you have other questions please contact us at: info@alcohollearningcentre.org.uk and we will respond to you as soon as we can.

Questions and Answers

Q. Can I do the course more than once?
A. Yes. You can do the course as many times as you want to.

Q. Do I have to start the course at the beginning?
A. No. The sessions can be completed in any order you choose. Some people will start by doing the final course assessment first and then dip into the other sessions they feel they need to do to increase their knowledge.

Q. How can I save my last learning page so that I can return to my learning later?
A. You can't if you are accessing the e-learning via the public website. You will need to make a note of where you are up to and then you can re-start your course at that point. The e-learning will shortly be available on the National LMS [www.esrsolution.co.uk/nlms] and via other e-Learning for Healthcare courses [link to relevant question below] which will enable you to do this.

Q. Can I obtain a record of achievement if I complete the course?
A. Yes. If you complete the Session Summary at the end of the course you can fill in your details and print a record of achievement which will have your name and final assessment score percentage on it.

Q. Are you developing other eLearning courses for staff who are not working in Primary Care?
A. Yes. The DH has commissioned two other course pathways in acute Hospital Settings and Community Pharmacy. These will be available here soon.

Q. How can I measure the competence of staff completing the course?
A. The course is intended as a 'vehicle towards competence'. It provides one method of learning about IBA along with many others such as face to face teaching and role play. Completion of the course does not in itself indicate competence. Competence would need to be measured using other appropriate methods to evaluate learning and its impact on the delivery of services.

Q. Is the course suitable for non-clinical staff?
A. Yes, depending on who they are and what prior knowledge they have. The course was developed to have broad appeal to those working in Primary Care settings. The first three sections of the course provide a good overview of alcohol facts and the importance of delivering IBA which provides useful context before moving on to look at the Identification and Brief Advice tools and their uses.

Q. I have some questions about the measurements and risks used in the course. What should I do?
A. You can use our discussion boards to post your questions and receive responses from other experts working in the NHS. This encourages debate and provides clarity about some of the issues.

Q. Can I monitor how many of my employees are completing the course and what scores they are getting?
A. There is no facility to monitor this if users are accessing the e-learning via the ALC website. The e-learning will be available shortly on the National Learning Management System which is linked to the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). This will enable the tracking and completion of the e-learning by all those with an ESR to be formally recorded. Those healthcare workers who wish to know if their trust has access or is getting access to the NLMS should contact their Trust's Learning and Development lead.

Alcohol IBA e-learning will also be available in other DH e-Learning for Healthcare e-learning programmes in the coming few months. This will enable progress and completion to be recorded.

• The Foundation e-Learning Programme is approved by the Academy of Royal Colleges and the UK Foundation Programme Office and supports Foundation doctors with their two year training. Further information is available at www.e-foundation.org.uk .
• e-GP is an e-learning resource for the primary care profession and has been developed in partnership with the Royal College of General Practitioners. Visit www.e-GP.org for more information and details of how to register.

Q. Who is e-Learning for Healthcare?
A. e-Learning for Healthcare is a Department of Health programme working in partnership with the NHS and professional bodies to provide high quality e-learning content for the training of the healthcare workforce across the UK. Visit www.e-lfh.org.uk for more details.