Up to 700 NHS support staff in Swindon and area will be able to take computer training as the result of a new partnership between Swindon College and the NHS.

The partnership is in response to a government drive to improve patient care by developing the use of information technology by the NHS, and has been developed by the Wiltshire's NHS Shared Services Consortium, the new body that serves Wiltshire's four NHS primary care trusts.

Anthony Curtis, education manager at the consortium said: "The relationship with the college will be to develop a long term training strategy for education initiatives to provide the best support for healthcare provision."

In the first phase of the partnership the college will work with the consortium to ensure that NHS support staff achieve competence in computers at the level of the European Computer Driving Licence qualification which is becoming an industry recognised standard.

Phil Neave, new business manager at the college said: "Learning and development has to be organised around work and other commitments of the NHS staff and we can work individually with learners to agree a programme that suits their needs and timetables."