NHS Evidence Health Information Resources Downtime

The NHS Evidence HIR site (formerly the National Library for Health) will be undergoing maintenance on the evening of Tuesday 21st December between 4pm and midnight and, as a result, may not be available for a short period during this time.

Library Christmas Opening

Reindeers
Originally uploaded by JesPir

Berrywood Hospital, Health Promotion Resources and the Richmond Library will be open between the 29th and 31st of December, and from Tuesday the 4th of January.

The Libraries at Francis Crick House and Isebrook Hospital will close on Friday the 24th of December and re-open on Tuesday the 4th. 

24 hour access will be available as usual to registered members throughout the Christmas period.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a merry Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous new year and we look forward to seeing you in 2011.

Health Promotion Resources Reopened

The move from Princess Marina to our new premises at Westgate House is now completed. Crates have been unpacked, leaflets reshelved a new office set up, and we are now open for business.

Westgate House has free parking and is easy to get to, being situated just off the A45/Sixfields Roundabout near Sainsburys. Our new contact details are:
Health Promotion Resources
Ground Floor
Westgate House 2
21 Gambrel Road
Westgate Industrial Estate,
Northampton NN5 5BB
Tel: 01604 321516
Fax: 01604 685465
Email: hpresources@northants.nhs.uk

Click here to see a map of this location

Health Promotion Resources Move Update

The first part of the move of the Health Promotion Resources Service has gone very well this week. We have now packed up all our resources, posters and leaflets into crates in anticipation of the move next week.

Most of our shelving has already been taken down and is going to be moved on Monday  to our new premises and will be put up again on Tuesday.

The big move takes place on Wednesday and we'll spend the rest of the day and Thursday unpacking. If everything goes to plan we will be open for business again at our new location, Westgate House, on Friday the 17th of December.

Health Promotion Resources Move

As previously announced, our Health Promotion Resources Service is moving from it's current location at  Princess Marina Hospital to a new premises. 

The service will shut on Monday the 6th of December to enable us to pack all our resources, leaflets and others materials in preparation for the move the following week. We will reopen on Friday the 17th of December and our new contact details will be:

Health Promotion Resources

Westgate House 2,

21 Gambrel Road,

Westgate Industrial Estate,

Northampton, NN5 5BB

Tel: 01604 321516 and fax 01604 685465

Email: hpresources@northants.nhs.uk

Click here to see a map of this location

During this time we will be unable to supply any leaflets or resources.

For anyone wishing to return resources you currently have out on loan during this closed period, you can do so at the Berrywood, Isebrook, and Richmond Libraries.

We apologise to all of our users for any inconvenience this may cause.

Berrywood Library Open Day Wednesday December 15th, 10am-4pm

Have you visited Berrywood Hospital staff library yet?

If not, on Wednesday December 15th, you have the perfect excuse – the Library is holding an open day so staff can come and see for themselves the services we offer.

We’re very easy to find - on the first floor in the main building, just above Reception and the café.

Our friendly, professional staff will be on hand to talk about the training we provide in searching online for evidence-based research, assisting with Athens registration, using the library catalogue (online or onsite), and will be giving tours of our collections of books and journals – as well as our public computers and daily newspapers!

Come and say hello, register for membership (if you haven’t already) and have a mince pie with us.

Please contact us if you require directions or further details: berrywoodlibrary@northants.nhs.uk or 01604 682650.

Latest Weather & Traffic News Now Available

snow cat
Originally uploaded by
Jamie McClement

Planning a journey? Worried about the snow? If you need the latest news and information on traffic, weather, delays, holdups and roadworks you can find it all in one place on the Travel, Transport & Weather tab of our netvibes site.

There are also planners to produce  routes and maps to make your journey easier.

If you aren't travelling by car, you will also find links to public transport information including local bus & coach services, trains, the tube and even airports.

New Guide to Netvibes Now Available

What does netvibes do? It allows us to bring together information from lots of different web sites and put it all in one place. It provides all our users with a single dashboard showing the last health news, policy, comment, publications and events, without having to go to lots of different places to find the information. 

Our site covers topics such as the NHS White Paper, mental health, primary care, health care policy and management, public health, and information management & technology. You will find continually updating news feeds from the NHS, NICE, the DoH, Government, CQC, Royal Colleges, King's Fund, voluntary organisations, clinical journals, the BBC, newspapers, weather, travel and transport news (covering local and national items), links to useful health related information and much more.

You can find it here: www.netvibes.com/northantspslibraries

Although its very easy to use, netvibes can appear a little daunting at first, so we've created a new guide on how to get the best from it. The guide will show you how the site works, how to find the information you need and even how to share it with friends and colleagues.  

Of course, you can always contact us if you have any questions about netvibes, or any of the other services we provide...

Advanced Warning: Health Promotion Resources is Moving

With the closure of the Princess Marina Hospital site, the Health Promotion Resources Service will also be relocating.

We are going to be moving to our new (temporary) premises at Westgate House, Gambrel Road, Northampton (about a mile away from our present location).

Inevitably there is going to be some disruption whilst we pack all of our leaflets and resources and move them, but we will endeavour to keep this to an absolute minimum.

The move is scheduled to take place in mid December, but we will update both this Blog and the Library web site with more information as soon as we have it.

In the mean time if you have any questions about the move you can email us or call on 01604 595267.

New Critical Appraisal Course for 2011

Do you need help navigating your way through published research. Need guidance on how to identify good quality research evidence? We can help!
The Library Service is launching an introductory critical appraisal course starting in January 2011 which covers the basics of assessing the quality of research evidence. It looks at the different types of research studies you are most likely to come across, and will give you an introduction to some of the statistical terminology most commonly used in biomedical research such as "number needed to treat" and "confidence intervals".
The course also takes you through a checklist for critically appraising a randomised controlled trial.
No prior knowledge of critical appraisal or statistical techniques is required.
To find out more and see the dates and venues for 2011 see our web site

It's fixed!

Our swipe card system has now been repaired and out of hours access to the Richmond Library for our registered members has been restored.

The Richmond Library will be closed the weekend of the 13th and 14th of November

Due to a technical problem with our swipe card access system, the Richmond Library at Northampton General Hospital will not be available for out of hours use.  The library will shut at 5 pm on Friday the 12th and reopen at 9 am on Monday the 14th.

An engineer will be coming out on Monday the 14th and we anticipate our twenty four hour access should be restored the same day.

In the mean time if you need access to the library service over the weekend, the library at Berrywood Hospital will still be open to registered users as normal (although stock at Berrywood has a different focus).

We apologise for any inconvience caused and we hope to restore out of hours access as soon as possible.

New Books

box of medical textbooks

See the latest additions to our stock covering subjects such as gastroenterology, psychiatry and mental health, orthopaedics, cardiology, neurology and learning disabilities.

Remember, you can also help ensure we hold the right stock to support you by reviewing our books on approval collection which will be available until the 15th of December at the Berrywood and Richmond Libraries.

New Training Dates for 2011

Training Room
Originally uploaded by KuBZoO

Training dates for all of our courses are now available for 2011. We offer A Basic Introduction to Using the Internet which is 100% hands on course for those who are not so confident with the basics. Evidence for Health is also 100% hands on and focuses on finding high quality health information using NHS Evidence. We also offer a course on Literature Searching which provides a guide to finding journal articles by searching databases such as Medline and the British Nursing Index.

Coming soon: A completely new course giving an introduction to critical appraisal

Disruption to electronic journals and the Cochrane Library 30th October

Due to essential maintenance work, the Wiley Online Library will be unavailable for 2 hours between 10:00 and 12:00 on Saturday the 30th of October.  During this time there will be no access to the Cochrane Library and all electronic journals hosted by the Wiley service, including the Journal of Advanced Nusing and Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica.

24 hour access restored at the Richmond Library

The faulty swipe card reader at the Richmond Library has now been replaced and 24 hour access for all of our registered members has been restored.

NHS Evidence and Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Survey

NHS Evidence is teaming up with the RCN to conduct a survey to understand the information searching needs and behaviours of nurses and health care assistants (HCAs).  The survey explores how you access and use health and social care resources, including any barriers you have experienced.   

It should take no longer than 10 minutes to complete

Complete the survey online at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RCN_survey

Alternatively, request a paper copy by emailing user.research@nice.org.uk

Richmond Library closed weekend of the 9th & 10th of October

Due to a technical problem with our swipe card access system, the Richmond Library at Northampton General Hospital will not be available for out of hours use.  The library will shut at 5 pm on Friday the 8th and reopen at 9 am on Monday the 11th.

We are expecting a replacement part to be delivered to us and installed on Monday the 8th and our twenty four hour access should be restored the same day.

In the mean time if you need access to the library service over the weekend, the library at Berrywood Hospital will still be open to registered users as normal (although stock at Berrywood has a different focus).

We apologise for any inconvience caused, but this is outside of our control.

Bloglines, Google Reader, Netvibes and Current Awareness

We have now finished the transfer of our current awareness services to Google Reader and Netvibes.

You can find our current awareness service aimed at NHS managers now on Google Reader. To make life easier, you can also subscribe to it and an email will be sent to you giving you the lastest updates once per day. To access that just follow this link and enter your email address (we won't use your address for anything else).

The rest of our current awareness services have now been transferred to Netvibes. Our netvibes site will allow you to keep up to date with the latest news, events, publications and even journal articles.

Advance Warning - Bloglines is closing

We currently use Bloglines for a number of current awareness services, but sadly the site is going to close on the 1st of October.

We are currently reviewing the Blogs we produce. Some will be transferred over to Google Reader and continue, whilst others will be replaced by our Netvibes service.

New Health Promotion Resources Bulletin Now Available

The Autumn issue of our bulletin is now available on the library website. In it you'll find the latest editions to our stock which include a Deluxe Occluded Artery Model, a Melanoma Awareness DVD, some resources on bullying, emotional well being, our new resource on macular degeneration & smoking, the Smokey Eyes Game Kit and more. You'll also find information on relevant leaflets (including news about the Dairy Council) and posters, as well as up coming health events.

Liberating the NHS White Paper: Information on Our Netvibes Site

We have updated our Netvibes site and added a new section on the NHS white paper. You'll find links to the DoH, King's Fund, NHS Evidence and other sites with information on the white paper, as well as feeds with the latest news and comment.

Our Netvibes site is an easy way to stay up to date with developments in UK healthcare and also has a number of other sections covering Primary Care & Commissioning, Public Health, Management, Mental Health, NHS IT and others, as well as national and local news.

New online information prescription service launched

A new on-line Information Prescriptions Service has been launched to help ensure that patients get the information they need, when they need it. The new service is available at www.NHS.uk/ips, and provides information on more than 100 long-term conditions. The Information Prescription can be printed, emailed to patients as a digital version and stored in the patient’s records.

The Information Prescription provides information on the diagnosis and management of various conditions, together with information on local resources and services available.

Furthermore, new e-learning and self-assessment tools are now available to help staff improve their information-giving skills. For further information and access to these tools, visit www.nhsemployers.org/longtermconditions

Library Services Annual Report Now Available

The 2009-10 annual report for the Library Service is now available. In it you can see a review of both developmental work and projects, as well as business as usual activity. We hope you'll find it of interest to see how the service has changed and what it has delivered over the last financial year.  You can find it in the publications section of our web site.

Berrywood Hospital Move

The move from Princess Marina to our new library at Berrywood Hospital is now nearly complete. All the stock and equipment has been transferred, books and journals are all on the shelves and (nearly) all our computers are up and running.  

The team have all worked very hard at ensuring the move went as smoothly as possible and we will be ready to open on Monday the 24th (although we've already had a number of visitors and our first "proper" customer!). There are still a few things left to finish, but we are almost there.

The new library looks really good and we are all really pleased with the design. The Berrywood Library is a fantastic new resource for our users and staff alike. Come and visit us soon!

Princess Marina Library is Moving to Berrywood Hospital

The library at Princess Marina Hospital will be moving to its new home to become the Berrywood Hospital Library.

There is likely to be some disruption to the service from Monday the 10th of May and then:

• Out of hours access at Princess Marina will not be available from the 10th of May
• The library will close on Thursday the 13th of May for packing and remain shut all of the following week for the actual move
• The new Berrywood Hospital Library will then open on Monday the 24th of May
• The Health Promotion Resources Service will be available, but inevitably there will be some disruption
• A full range of services will still be available from all the other library sites.

Please Note: The Health Promotion Resources Service will be staying at its location in the current Princess Marina Library for the short term. We expect this will also be moving later in the year. Details will be announced when we know more.

Berrywood Hospital Library Build Update

The build at Berrywood Hospital has now reached the final stages, with just a few more weeks to go until we move in.  The library now has paint on the walls, carpet on the floors and furniture in the offices, as well as power and data points. 

The next step will be FG Library coming in to install shelving and fit out the library space. That begins on Tuesday the 4th of May.

Currently, we are still on track to move into the new library on the week of the 17th of May. Princess Marina will begin packing up the week before and the library will be closed from Wednesday the 12th of May.  We hope to reopen at Berrywood Hospital on Thursday the 20th or Friday the 21st.

The Health Promotion Resources Service will be staying at its current base in the existing library site for the time being.  It will be also be moving in the near future, but we are unsure of timescales at present.

View from the glass walkway up to the new library

                      The front of the hospital

Easter Opening

Easter chicks! Happy Easter- Feliz Páscoa
Originally uploaded by Beto Frota

The library will be unstaffed from Friday the 2nd to lunchtime of Tuesday the 6th of April, but will be staffed as normal over the rest of Easter. Out of hours access is still available as usual to registered members.

Berrywood Hospital Library Build Update

The build of the Berrywood Hospital, and the library is moving on apace!  Since our last visit all the scaffolding has come down, doors and windows have gone in and there is even paint on the walls.

We've now had the final drawings for staff offices and a sample of the carpet, so we are able to get on and chose the colours for our furniture.

Everything is running to plan so we will be furiously packing from around the 12th of May with the move from Princess Marina to Berrywood starting on Monday the 17th.  There is still a lot to do, but we are looking forward to moving into this wonderful new space.

Off the Shelf library newsletter now available

The latest issue of our newsletter, Off the Shelf, is now available. This special issue focuses on sources of information for managers and looks at a number of different resources including Emerald's Health Management First service, management related databases, full text electronic journals, the NHS Evidence specialist collections, and even how to access some of this material from mobile devices.

You can find Off the Shelf in the publications section on our web site

NHS Annual Evidence Updates

3 this week!

15th - 19th March
Critical Illness Rehabilitation: Surgery, Anaesthesia, Perioperative & Critical Care Specialist Collection
Hearing Disorders: ENT & Audiology Specialist Collection
Retinal Vein Occlusions: Eyes & Vision Specialist Collection

NHS Evidence Annual Evidence Updates

8th - 12th March
Annual Evidence Update on Multiple Sclerosis: Neurological Conditions Specialist Collection This year they have also begun to identify uncertainties in research to contribute to the DUETs project (see www.library.nhs.uk/duets for more details).
Annual Evidence Update on Prostate Cancer: Cancer Care Specialist Collection

NHS Evidence Annual Evidence Updates

The annual evidence updates review all the high quality evidence published in the previous year and discuss the implications for clinical practice.

1st - 5th March
Annual Evidence Update on Acne: Skin Disorders Specialist Collection
Annual Evidence Update on Dysmenorrhoea & Endometriosis: Women's Health Specialist Collection

NHS Evidence Annual Evidence Update

The annual evidence updates review all the high quality evidence published in the previous year and discuss the implications for clinical practice.

22nd - 26th FebruaryAnnual Evidence Update on Chest Pain: Cardiovascular Specialist Collection

Library Catalogue

The library catalogue is now back up and running.

NHS Evidence Annual Evidence Updates

The annual evidence updates review all the high quality evidence published in the previous year and discuss the implications for clinical practice.
8th - 12th February
Annual Evidence Update on Tinnitus: ENT & Audiology Specialist Collection

The library catalogue is out of action

Due to the theft of over 350 meters of telephone and internet cabling  at the Moulton Park industrial estate, the library catalogue is currently unavailable.  BT (and the police) are currently working on it and we hope to have the catalogue back up and running early next week.

In them mean time if you need to renew your books, or have a question about stock or availability, please contact one of our libraries and we will be happy to help.

NHS Evidence Annual Evidence Updates

The annual evidence updates review all the high quality evidence published in the previous year and discuss the implications for clinical practice.
1st - 5th February
Annual Evidence Update on Urinary Incontinence: NHS Evidence Women's Health and Kidney Diseases & Male Urogenital Disorders Specialist Collections

New health promotion resources bulletin

Our latest resources bulletin is now available on the library website. To link in with the annual national No Smoking Day in March, we have focussed on some of the newest resources we have on smoking cessation. These include DVDs, displays, flipcharts, leaflets, posters and the "life or death lungs" models which graphically illustrate the effects of smoking on the lungs. You will also find resources on other health related topics and some information about forthcoming health events.

NHS Evidence Annual Evidence Update

The annual evidence updates review all the high quality evidence published in the previous year and discuss the implications for clinical practice.
18th - 22nd January
Patient & Carer Involvement in Chronic Disease: Palliative Care Specialist Collection

NHS Evidence Downtime Thursday 14th January

The NHS Evidence site (www.evidence.nhs.uk) will be down for essential maintenance on Thursday the 14th of January between 6 pm and midnight.

Resources available via the Health Information Resources pages (www.library.nhs.uk), such as the databases and Cochrane Library will be uneffected.

New Books / Books on Approval

Medical Books
Originally uploaded by chris@APL

We have just posted our latest books list onto our web site. See a list of the new titles we have added to stock in the last month.

We will also be getting a new set of books on approval this week. The approval books are new titles across all disciplines that are available for review, and that you can recommend the service to purchase. You can find the lists of titles for both the Richmond and Princess Marina libraries on our web site.

Library Opening

Snow in the UK
Originally uploaded by Segerius-Bruce Photography

All the libraries are open today as usual.