Editor's Note

Welcome to the January 2008 edition of the NHS Resource Centre e-newsletter.

Earlier this month we kicked off the year with the NHS CIO Summit; the feedback was excellent and you can catch the highlights below.

If you're worried you missed out, don't be, since you now have the opportunity to attend a series of free regional events happening somewhere near you between February and March 2008. We'll be covering many of the key areas presented at the CIO summit including more on the EWA, infrastructure optimisation and CUI as well as showcasing the outstanding work local trusts have been undertaking. Find out more in the events section below.

I would also like to announce our five NHS Resource Centre competition winners who were selected at random after 7 January; Mrs Gay Costello, Dr Christopher Howes, Dr Richard McDermott, Mr Matt Mundey and Ms Mary Worthy. All five winners win a £500 goodie bag stuffed with Microsoft products.

The competitions are not over yet! We have decided to extend the Invite a Friend Competition until and including 29 February so get inviting now! The top ten referrers win an Xbox 360 plus a copy of Halo 3 and Viva Pinata Party Animals. All we ask you to do is go to the competition page and invite your NHS friends and colleagues to sign up to the NHS Resource Centre. You've got to be a signed in member to participate so if you haven't already joined, do so now!

Happy New Year!
NHS Resource Centre Online team

Come on up: A view of Microsoft’s NHS chief information officers’ summit

Earlier this month Microsoft held its annual summit for NHS chief information officers. Lyn Whitfield reports on some of the key themes of the day including highlights from a great line-up of speakers; the Department of Health's director general for information and policy, Mr Matthew Swindells, Microsoft's worldwide healthcare director, Dr Bill Crounse and NHS CFH Director for infrastructure Dr Mark Ferrar.

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Virtual Reality: virtualisation and the NHS

Virtualisation is a word that has started to creep into common usage. But what does it mean and why might the NHS be interested? Nick Saalfeld offers a quick introduction.

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Happy New Year: From the consulting room

GP columnist Dr Neil Paul looks back – less than fondly – at 2007, and puts together a wish-list for primary care computing in 2008.

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Tooling up: how the CUI programme is creating tools for NHS workers and IT managers

Microsoft’s Enterprise Agreement with the NHS includes a commitment to the Common User Interface programme. Two of its strands are focused on creating “knowledge worker tools” to make the lives of NHS staff easier, and on “IM&T tools” to help trusts get the most out of their investment in IT and make managers’ lives easier. Mark Bower and Neil Slater talk about this work.

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Life on Marsland takes stock of the New Year

In the second of his columns for the NHS Resource Centre, former NHS chief information officer Iain Marsland looks at the priorities and concerns of NHS IT leads as they head into 2008.

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Inside e-health on (not) getting results out of the box

IT journalist Jon Hoeksma wonders why healthcare systems can’t be bought out of the box: and whether primary care might have something to teach the hospital sector.

Read more


	Improving Operational Efficiency in the NHS with Premier Support relationship services An opportunity for Microsoft and our NHS Customers to highlight the successes of a direct Technical Account Manager relationship through Premier Support Services. and how this service is building and improving operational efficiency, as well as focusing firmly on I.T. Infrastructure Maturity for the local health community. Add this meeting to your email calendar Read more Windows Vista and Office 2007 Application Solutions with Camwood Camwood have un-rivalled experience relating to application-centric transformation programmes. Camwood will discuss their recent experience of migrating users to Vista and Office 2007 and how software and a defined methodology can drive optimum costs and timescales. Add this live webcast to your email calendar Read more		Sidewinder on how not to get too click-happy Expert journalist Davey Winder reviews the latest evidence on the security threat posed by link-clicking and says: just don’t do it. Read more The Long and the short of it on how Windows Server 2008 will improve security Securing data is the hot topic across the public sector. In the latest of his regular columns, Gareth Hall explains how Windows Server 2008 will address security issues. Read more My Offers: exlusive discounts and competitions for NHS employees Late last year we launched a brand new offers and promotions section as part of the NHS Resource Centre, My Offers. Here you will get access to Office 2007 and Office 2004 for Mac for under £18 as part of the Home User Programme and up to 70% off on Vista upgrades as part of the Employee Purchase programme! We're also giving you 50% off Microsoft Press publications including free p&p as part of our online bookshop. And don't forget that you can train online for free within our e-learning section of the site. We're working on improving all of the offers available to you which we will promote in the My Offers section and also via the newsletter. Enter your My Offers page


	NHS Regional worskhops 2008: Knowledge Driven Health This year's regional roadshows kick off on 26 February 2008 in Birmingham and will provide NHS IT decision makers with the opportunity to learn about the plans for ICT development within their local health community, alongside plans from NHS CFH on National Infrastructure and the NHSmail service. Speakers will also drill down on the technology available to the NHS under the NHS/Microsoft Enterprise Wide Agreement and showcase how NHS Trusts are using Microsoft technology and partner solutions to deliver improvements in clinical care; productivity; and infrastructure maturity. Find out more and register for your local event East Midlands Technology Forum 21 Feb 2008 This inaugural meeting of the East Midlands Technology Forum kicks off with an incredible line up. Aimed at senior ICT personnel, this event comprises an update on national projects by NHS CFH, live Microsoft Groove and SharePoint demos, the latest information on the EWA, infrastructure optimisation, security and collaboration. Plus benefit from a closed forum and interactive session. Find out more BJHC Events: Pass the patient 4 March 2008 This event offers a series of presentations and case histories that will give you an up-to-date picture on the practicalities of adopting electronic patient-discharge summaries. You will gain a clearer understanding of the information needs of everyone involved in this part of the patient journey and learn how best to meet them; and you'll be able to explore leading solutions at the accompanying exhibition. Find out more about this event and how to register		Podcast: Dr Bill Crounse speaks from the NHS CIO Summit In this podcast, you’ll find out why Dr Bill Crounse, Microsoft’s Senior Director of Worldwide Health, says “CUI will change the world”, how unified communications can help clinical staff provide better care, and why he believes that the NHS is better placed than American healthcare providers to take advantage of these emerging technologies. Listen to the podcast If you're interested in finding out more, read Dr Bill Crounse's blog, healthblog Podcast with Mark Bower, Microsoft's CUI NHS Knowledge Worker Tools Lead Mark Bower is responsible for helping the NHS make the most of the software included in the NHS Enterprise Agreement, by building specialist solutions designed with the needs of NHS information workers in mind. In this podcast we’ll find out about the tools he’s created to make life in NHS organisations easier, including a meeting manager and presentation tools for targets and KPIs. We’ll also have a sneak peek at some extra services in development. Listen to this podcast