We are recruiting - could you be our next Library Services Manager?

Due to the retirement of the current post holder, we are looking to recruit a librarian to manage the library service for Northamptonshire Healthcare and Northampton General Hospital.

This is a great opportunity to shape services for community, mental health, and acute staff, across the county, ensuring knowledge and evidence are available and accessible to support clinical practice, management, education, research, continuing professional development and all decision making across the organisations we serve.

The service has a well-established team of experienced professional and para-professional staff across three sites, and you would be working for an outstanding trust that understands the value of what the library service offers, within a supportive management structure.

We are looking for a professionally qualified librarian with extensive experience in health to lead on the library service across both trusts. You will be proactive, adaptable and able to identify opportunities for further embedding service provision into the organisations we serve.

For more information about the role, contact details and to apply, please see the vacancies section of the Trust web site.

UpToDate LIVE - free training for NGH staff

Whether you are an experienced consultant, a new junior doctor, a nurse or midwife, a pharmacist or AHP, UpToDate is a valuable resource enabling you to access high quality evidenced-based information when you need it. 

UpToDate LIVE is a free one hour Teams training session available to all NGH staff covering how to get the best from the system.

The sessions are aimed at all clinical staff and will be running from August until December. Each session will be delivered by a member of the Wolters Kluwer team.

Join one of our free 60-minute LIVE sessions to learn more about UpToDate, including:

• Creating an account
• Earning and submitting CPD including Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the UK
• Conducting a normal/advanced search
• Customising your UpToDate homepage
• Help reduce medication errors with our Drug Interactions tool
• COVID-19 common questions and answers
• What's New & Practice Changing Updates
• Patient engagement/safety

To book on a session simply pick the date that suits you, click the link, and register online:

• Wednesday 10th August 2pm 
• Wednesday 24th August 2pm
• Monday 12th September 6 pm
• Wednesday 5th October 2 pm
• Wednesday 19th October 3 pm
• Wednesday 16th November 2 pm
• Wednesday 30th November 2 pm
• Wednesday 14th December 2 pm

If you have any questions, please contact the Richmond Library.

UpToDate access for NGH staff extended

Good news for staff at NGH!

Following the initial decision to cancel the subscription to UpToDate, the Medical Education Team heard your concerns and are going to fund access for another year.

UpToDate provides quick and easy access to synthesised evidence-based information on thousands of clinical topics and is an invaluable resource for all health professionals.

Find out more about UpToDate and its many features (including cpd/cme credits) here: https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/solutions/uptodate/resources/user-academy

You can access UpToDate in several ways:

• Use the link on the front page of The Street
• Download and install the UpToDate App for access on the go https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/solutions/uptodate/uptodate/mobile
• Use the UpToDate via the web site at www.wolterskluwer.com/en/solutions/uptodate and log in with your OpenAthens account (and if you don’t have one of those you can register online here https://openathens.nice.org.uk/) 

If you have CME points on UpToDate you no longer need to rush to redeem them by the end of April.

UpToDate access for NGH staff ending 30th of April

NGH has taken the decision not to renew its UpToDate subscription when the current contract expires at the end of April, and all users will lose access from the first of May.

If you have Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits stored on UpToDate it is important you redeem them before the end of the subscription or they will be lost and there will not be any way to retrieve them.

To download a guide on how to mange and redeem your CME credits click here There are also some instructional videos on how to do it from both the app and desktop versions of UpToDate here.

Whilst not equivalent to UpToDate, you can find lots of evidence-based health resources on the NHS Knowledge and Library Hub here: http://library.nhs.uk/knowledgehub/. 

BMJ Best Practice is also available to all NHS staff here https://bestpractice.bmj.com (and if you use the link on the front of The Street, you will not need to log in).

BMJ Case Reports now available to staff at Northampton General Hospital

Northampton General Hospital has taken out an annual institutional subscription to BMJ Case Reports that allows staff to submit case reports to the journal for publication at no cost to themselves.

BMJ Case Reports is an educational resource bringing together more than 15000 peer reviewed case reports covering all disciplines, allowing health professionals to learn from real cases. 

To view the journal you will need an NGH OpenAthens account (register here or contact the library for help) or see the 10th anniversary booklet for examples of the types of cases that they publish.

If you would like to submit a case report please contact the Richmond Library for the NGH Fellowship code and we will send you information from the BMJ on writing a case report and the submission process.

Important notice for visitors to the Richmond Library weekend of the 19th and 20th of October

Due to resurfacing work at Northampton General Hospital, the access road to both car park number 2 and the Cripps car park outside the library will be closed from 7 am on Saturday the 19th of October and will not reopen until 5 pm on Sunday the 20th.

Visitors to the Richmond Library are advised to use different hospital car parks or Midsummer Meadow and not to leave their cars in either car park overnight on Friday the 18th or they will be trapped until 5 pm on Sunday.

UpToDate registration / drop in event for NGH staff Thursday 5th September

You may be aware that Northampton General Hospital has a subscription to UpToDate, which provides quick and easy access to synthesised evidence-based information on thousands of clinical topics and is an invaluable resource for all health professionals.

Staff can access UpToDate through a link on the front page of the intranet (without the need to log in) or online via OpenAthens. You can also access it via the UpToDate app (described as "one of the best apps in publishing" by EContent Magazine).

The Trust is holding a registration event on Thursday the 5th of September in the Cybercafe on Hospital Street from 10 - 1 pm.

Come along and get registered with UpToDate so you can use the app (available for iOS (Apple) or Android devices). You will also have the opportunity to put any any questions you may have about UpToDate or the app to Rob from the UpToDate team.

BMJ Best Practice now available

Did you know you now have access to BMJ Best Practice?

BMJ Best Practice is a trusted clinical decision support tool which provides healthcare professionals with access to the latest relevant clinical information when making diagnosis and treatment decisions.

BMJ Best Practice includes:

• A modern, fresh user interface and navigation
• Enhanced differential diagnosis and treatment algorithms
• Videos covering the most common clinical procedures
• Improved page designs with quick links to increase speed to answer
• More than 250 integrated medical calculators
• Patient discussions and nearly 400 patient leaflets
• The latest evidence and Cochrane Clinical Answers
• Plus an award-winning app that can be used offline, ensuring that you always have the information you need, when you need it. 

To access BMJ Best Practice go to: https://bestpractice.bmj.com/

Log in using your NHS OpenAthens account (if you don’t have an account yet you can register for one here). 

Once logged in you can also register for a personal account which allows you to record CME/CPD activity for revalidation and you can access it offline via a free app for Android and iOS devices.

To support you in getting started, download the user guide or visit the FAQ section. If you need any more information, please contact the library.

Richmond Library temporary closure 16th - 22nd of November

The Richmond Library at Northampton General Hospital will be closing at 1:00 pm on Friday the 16th of November until Thursday the 22nd.

This is to allow for the replacement of the carpet in a large section of the library.

During this time the library will be completely closed (including out of hours access) to all staff.

Requests for journal articles and other items can still be made during the closed period by email and we will do our best to provide them.

We apologise for the inevitable inconvenience, but parts of the flooring are getting very worn and will soon present a health and safety issue if they are not replaced now.

Both Berrywood and Isebrook libraries will remain open as normal during this period.

WiFi at the Richmond Library

We have been trialing the use of (free) WiFi at the Richmond Library (many of our regular visitors have been making use of it for some time).

Users can now bring any device into the Library and connect to the guest WiFi. Access is free but does require you to enter your email address.

NHFT staff can also now connect their Trust device to the corporate WiFi and work remotely.

This means we are now able to offer both corporate and public WiFi access at all the library sites...

NHS Libraries - #amilliondecisions

Health libraries have a big impact on the Trusts that they work with, supporting clinicians and managers to deliver the best possible care and make the best possible decisions, fully apprised of the evidence base behind them.

Health Education England and CILIP (the Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals) has recently launched the #amilliondecisions campaign to support the work of NHS library services.

Professor Ian Cumming OBE, Chief Executive, HEE said: “Every day across the healthcare sector more than a million decisions are made which have a profound impact on people’s lives and which influence the quality and cost of healthcare services.  The Government and health organisations have obligations under the Health and Social Care Act to ensure the use of evidence from research and to make use of the best available evidence in their decision-making.”

Nick Poole, CILIP Chief Executive said: “We encourage anyone responsible for healthcare services to take a look at the astonishing impact on the cost and quality of care when healthcare teams have good access to the specialist expertise of clinical librarians and knowledge specialists.

To those leading healthcare services, it’s a call to ensure that your part of the NHS or sector is meeting its duties under the Act, and where there are gaps, to work with CILIP and HEE to put arrangements in place so that your organisation and staff are able to access the evidence to inform their practice and decision-making.”

You can also follow the campaign on Twitter using the #amilliondecisions hashtag

If you work for Northamptonshire Healthcare or Northampton General Hospital you can already access our services. Have a look at our web site or pop into one of the libraries in person to find out how we can help you...

Smart lights, big savings at the Richmond Library

In March this year the old lighting system we had in the Richmond Library, Northampton General Hospital was replaced by new programmable "smart lights" that respond to things around them. Using movement sensors they turn themselves off after a set amount of time when there is no activity. Likewise, as soon as someone goes near a sensor they turn back on in banks.

They also detect the amount of ambient light, so on a bright day they will dim down to reduce consumption, or even turn off entirely.

Our old lights were never switched off (except those in staff areas after hours) and we did have some concerns that as a 24/7 library where people sit quietly and read, our users might suddenly find themselves in darkness.

However, it takes hardly any movement at all to make the lights come on and this has not been a problem as far as we are aware.

What is clear though, is the substantial impact the installation has had on the consumption of electricity in the William Kerr Building.




In  comparison with the previous year, we have seen a 38% reduction in consumption since April. Given all the computers we have and everything else, this is a very significant drop.

We are very pleased we are able to do out bit to save the NHS money whilst reducing (albeit in a small way) our carbon footprint (even more so because the vendor, Thorlux Lighting offset all the carbon emissions for the production and marketing of their products).

UpToDate registration event for NGH staff Thursday 22nd September

You may be aware that Northampton General Hospital has a subscription to UpToDate, which provides quick and easy access to synthesised evidence-based information on thousands of clinical topics and is an invaluable resource for all health professionals.

UpToDate was previously only available through the intranet or online via OpenAthens.

The Trust has extended its subscription to UpToDate Anywhere and this means NGH staff and students can now access it via the UpToDate app (described as "one of the best apps in publishing" by EContent Magazine).

The Trust is holding a registration event on Thursday the 22nd of September in meeting room 3 of the Cripps Postgraduate Medical Centre from 12 - 2 pm.

Come along and get registered with UpToDate so you can use the app (available for iOS (Apple) or Android devices). You will also have the opportunity to put any any questions you may have about UpToDate or the app to Michael from the UpToDate team.

Northampton General Hospital: The early years

The Historical Archive at Northampton General have produced a booklet on the early history of the hospital.

Starting with its foundation in 1743, the booklet traces the history of the hospital from its inception as an infirmary to the foundation of the NHS in 1948.

As well as being available in the Richmond Library, the booklet is available from the Historical Archive (priced just £3.50).

For more information contact the archive on 01604 544868 or email historicalarchive@ngh.nhs.uk

Richmond Library 10th birthday quiz - winners and answers

The Richmond Library celebrated its 10th anniversary earlier this month.

As part of the festivities, we invited you all to enter our fiendishly difficult library quiz. The results are now in and the winners have claimed their prizes.

1st prize, a £20 Blackwell's voucher, being
presented to Namita Matthews by Jane Cooper

2nd prize, the Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine
being presented to Sarah Lowe by Jane Proctor

A big thank you to Blackwell's who kindly donated these prizes.

3rd prize, a posh pen, being presented to Alex Robinson

For those of you who entered but didn't win, we thought we might console you with the answers to the quiz questions (and we hope you enjoyed the free cake!).

Q. Since the Richmond Library opened approximately how many library visits have there been?

A. Over 200,000

Q. How many books have been borrowed from the Richmond Library since June 2005?

A. 83, 526

Q. How many journal titles can you access full-text online using your NGH Athens login?

A. 16,419

Q. Which online resource does the library provide access to, Clinical Key, Medical Masterclass or UpToDate?

A. All of the above

Q. How many years of library experience do the 7 members of the Richmond Library team have between them? 

A. 153 (which makes some of us feel very old)

Q. How many journal articles has the library obtained for our users since June 2005?

A. 11,478

Q. Who said “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”?

A. Cicero

Happy 10th birthday to the Richmond Library!

The Richmond Library is celebrating its 10th
anniversary this month! The library moved
into its current premises in the William Kerr Building
 (Area J) on the 21st June 2005.                                                                    

To celebrate we are having a library open day on Monday 22nd June. 

Please pop in to find out more about us and what we can do to support you. There will be free cakes, sweets and drinks available plus your chance to win a £20 voucher courtesy of Blackwell's, by entering our library quiz!

The open day will run from 9am-5pm, and we look forward to seeing you there!

You can contact us on extension 5929 or email richmondlibrary@nhft.nhs.uk

Visit the library website at http://www.library.northants.nhs.uk

Inside the Richmond Library

Congestion and temporary changes to Bedford Road / Cheyne Walk junction at Northampton General Hospital

There are on going road works affecting the traffic around Northampton General Hospital on the A428 Bedford Road / Cheyne Walk / Victoria Promenade / Derngate junction. For more information see the national roadworks.org site.

From Thursday the 5th of June you will no longer be able to turn right from the Bedford Road into Cheyne Walk. This will remain in force until the end of the project.

The road works are liable to cause some severe congestion at times and journey times around the hospital and town centre may be much longer than normal. You can find live travel news from the BBC here.

The project is scheduled to finish on the 17th of October.



View Larger Map

Severe traffic disruption around Northampton General Hospital, Wednesday the 7th of May

There are going to be a large number of road closures on Wednesday the 7th of May in central Northampton that are liable to have a substantial impact on traffic around the hospital. The closures are for The Women's Tour cycling event which is coming to the town.

The road closures will start at 4.30 am in the town centre and last until 7 pm. Additionally, there will be more closures around the hospital itself between midday and 2 pm including Cheyne Walk, Victoria Promenade and the Bedford Road from the junction with Cliftonville Road (which will include the Midsummer Meadow car park).

The scale of the disruption is uncertain but you are advised to allow extra time onto your normal journey (see the advice from Northamptonshire Highways on how much time to allow).

For more details on the road closures see the Northamptonshire County Council web site.

Northampton General Hospital CQC report

www.cqc.org.uk

The Care Quality Commission have published their inspection report of Northampton General Hospital (carried out under the new acute hospital inspection model).

• Inspection report overview
• Full inspection report (.PDF)

CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2012

www.cqc.org.uk

The CQC have now published the results of the survey of inpatients in England that ran between September 2012 and January 2013.

The survey had over 64,500 participants who had at least one overnight stay (there were some exclusions including psychiatric and maternity admissions).

Results

• National summary of results
• Full comparison with the 2011 survey
• A-Z List of participating trusts and their results
• Technical details of how trusts were scored

Local Trusts

• Northampton General Hospital Results
• Northampton General Hospital Benchmark Report (comparing local results with national data)

• Kettering General Hospital Results
• Kettering General Hospital Benchmark Report