A WARRINGTON-based IT specialist whose skills helped support online training for NHS staff during the pandemic, is predicting another spike in e-learning.

Chris Bain, from Chatbot Labs located in The Base on Dallam Lane, was instrumental in making sure training was readily available for NHS staff returning to service to combat Covid-19.

He says he is expecting monthly training sessions on the ‘E-learning for Healthcare’ portal to rise again if the predicted second wave of infections strikes in the autumn and winter.

Initial on-line sessions leapt from a monthly average of 90,000 to more than half a million before Easter, as NHS staff undertook training to help them prevent the spread of the virus.

Chris’ role was to provide the critical coding that enabled returning NHS staff recruited to operate the country’s Nightingale Hospitals to access training materials from home and refresh their skills.

“It was great to play a part in something so critical to the UK’s ability to deal with the pandemic, all credit to the retired and former staff who returned to the NHS at the country’s time of need,” Chris said.

His input enabled the new staff to draw quickly and seamlessly on the NHS’s vast bank of training materials and meant that the health service could provide new training content that staff could easily look at on-line.

Chris and a wider team are now involved with providing critical coding that enables the seamless import of users participating in the government’s ‘test and trace’ project.

Sylvie Morton, business development manager with Langtree, which manages The Base for owner Warrington & Co, added: “We have the skills here in Warrington to deal with the most challenging technical issues.

“Being at The Base enables Chris to tap into a wider network of expertise to deliver his game-changing work.”