Editor's Note

Welcome to the August 2007 edition of the NHS Resource Centre e-newsletter.

Earlier this month we launched the new NHS Resource Centre website built on web 2.0 technology and featuring a host of brand new interactive functionality. The new web portal still houses all of the content you were used to seeing before: you can easily search for articles, events or tips by using the in-built search functionality, or searching by specific tags!

To benefit from the new community functionalities, NHS users must register as members by signing up with an NHS email address. When you have registered, you will be able to do the following and more:

Personalise your homepage
Create your own content in the form of blogs, articles, tips and events
Review all other NHS user content
Participate in discussion forums
Create private group spaces
Add your own RSS feeds

The website is continually evolving and much of our enhancements will be based on your feedback. Start using the interactive functionalities and send us your comments at nhsweb@microsoft.com.

Best wishes,
NHS Resource Centre Online team

To email and beyond: Microsoft Exchange 2007

Microsoft Exchange 2007 can help by enabling NHS staff to become more mobile and more connected. Even better, it can help busy IT teams to control those communications, make sure they are secure, and combine with other Microsoft applications to deliver whole new ways of working.

Read the full article

Clock watching: measuring and monitoring 18 week waits with Ardentia’s Pathway Manager

Healthcare business intelligence expert Ardentia has developed Pathway Manager to help trusts collect, analyse and report on the information they need to meet 18 weeks. This is already in use at a number of trusts, including Dudley Group of Hospitals trust in the Black Country.

Read the full article

View the webcast

Cross Talk on the coming revolution in telemedicine

A revolution in telemedicine has been talked about for decades. But Mike Cross argues that policy and technology are now combining to make that revolution a certainty and the NHS will benefit - as long as it can overcome its pilot mentality.

Read Mike's column

Using Microsoft Groove to co-ordinate services for the elderly at Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT

Eastern and Coastal Kent Primary Care Trust is hoping to dramatically reduce unscheduled hospital admissions by using Microsoft Groove to improve collaboration among health professionals and ensure a proper care package is in place.

Read the full article

Find out about the Groove event run by D2i Solutions on 26 September

Getting into Groove: Microsoft Groove supports secure, collaborative working

Microsoft Groove is part of the Microsoft Office suite. It provides users with a secure, shared, virtual office space, where you can post, view, edit and collaborate on documents, files and images. As such, it has much to offer NHS staff as organisations adapt to partnership and mobile working.

View the full article


	Streamline the management of your NHS Desktop and Server Infrastructure - 6 September Jointly presented by Microsoft and Lynx Technology on 6 September at 2pm, this session gives an overview of how the Microsoft System Center Suite of products can help to streamline the configuration and management of your NHS Infrastructure. Focusing on System Center Operations Manager 2007 and the forthcoming successor to SMS 2003, System Center Configuration Manager 2007, Lynx will highlight some of their NHS Implementations and some of the savings that have been realised through these technologies. Click here to download the webcast into your Outlook Calendar Audio and live webcast technical information Audio will be streamed online, however there is also a backup telephone number that can be used: Tel: 0118 909 2000 Participant code: 2842297 Technical Info: To save time before the meeting, we recommend that you check your system to make sure it is ready to use Microsoft Office Live		Get started on your online training The NHS Resource Centre hosts three online training courses for NHS staff covering Office 2003, SharePoint and InfoPath functionality. Find out how you can get started Articlulate Presenter download Transform Microsoft Office PowerPoint files into Flash presentations and e-learning courses in minutes, complete with narration, animation, and interactivity. Download Articulate Presenter 2007 Office System Webcasts Tune in to the Office 2007 webcasts and get expert insider tips for using Microsoft Office products and Servers, such as Word, Excel, InfoPath, Live Meeting, Project, Visio, and SharePoint Portal Server. Find out more


	NHS IT partner community event This event held on 5 September in Coventry focuses on the newly re-signed NHS agreement with Mark Ferrar speaking on behalf of NHS Connecting for Health. View event details Microsoft Office SharePoint Server seminar for NHS IT partners Two seminars, the first on 11 September in Sheffield and the second on 12 September in Reading, focus on the collaborative functionalities of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server. View event details for the Sheffield seminar View event details for the Reading seminar Unified Communications - Exchange 2007 Unplugged On 17 September this is your opportunity to get the inside scoop on Exchange Server 2007, Office Communications Server 2007 and the rest of the Unified Communications platform. View event details Meeting the Challenges of Information Management in the NHS MOSS 2007 is included in the new Microsoft NHS Enterprise Agreement with NHS CFH, bringing significant collaborative benefits to the NHS. This event is held at the National Science Learning Centre in York on 26 September. View event details Real-time sharing of patient information in multi-disciplinary teams This event run by NHS IT partner D2i Solutions on 26 September in London, will focus on the collaborative functionalities of Office software and is based on the recent implementation of Microsoft Groove at Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT. View event details		Understanding your processes Use of process-mapping techniques is helpful in understanding the various processes that are undertaken by a service or department and how they can be improved. An awareness of the existing processes is an invaluable tool to assist you in thinking about how you can improve your service and which changes will have greatest impact. Review the full article by Shoshana Bloom The Changing Role of the IT Department Over the last 5 or more years there has been a growth in the number of IT shared services. The idea of the 'shared service' is to create a single IT organisation in an NHS locality by merging the separate IT departments previously attached to PCTs and Trusts. Read the full article by Adam Gregory Extending the Office workspace Improving working lives is a requirement mandated in the NHS, but what impact does its implementation have on the IT staff that have to support more and more workers wirelessly who have little or no understanding of the complexities of this type of connectivity? Read the full article by Gary Kennington