NHS Wales E-Library - Resources Now Restored

The following resources on the NHS Wales E-library have been restored to the e-library :

OVID databases – Medline, Embase, Psychinfo, AMED (Allied & Complementary Medicine), British Nursing Index, and HMIC (Health Management Info Consortium)

Ebsco Host – CINAHL (Nursing & Allied Health) and Medline (you might find the OVID version of Medline more user friendly than this version)

BMJ Journals

Science Direct – please note, NHS Wales only subscribes to a dozen or so titles via Science Direct’s ejournals collection

Clinical Evidence

EMX Journals (was Emerald Journals)

NHS Wales e-journals – we don’t have details of all the available titles yet, but most of the titles we had access to earlier this year, should still be available. Check the e-journals homepage (http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sites3/page.cfm?orgid=520&pid=12531) for links to individual titles. We’re hoping that the list of available ejournals will be updated shortly.

Accessing the e-resources

The homepage for the NHS Wales e-library (www.wales.nhs.uk/ehl) hasn’t yet been updated with details about, and access links to, the restored resources. The easiest way to access the resources until the e-library’s homepage has been updated is via your NHS Wales Athens user account (www.athensams.net/myathens) – if you don’t have an Athens account, or your current Athens account has expired, please contact me and I will create or update your account.

Powys staff also have access to the MyiLibrary collection of electronic textbooks, and Ebsco Host EJS which provides electronic access to approximately 25 of the journals we subscribe to in Powys. Both can be accessed via your Athens account.

Please contact the Library if you have any questions about any of the e-library’s resources.

Library Surgeries - Llanidloes & Machynlleth

The Library will be holding 2 drop-in sessions on Tuesday 25th November at Llanidloes Hospital and Machynlleth Hospital :

10am - 12noon - Llanidloes Hospital - Internet room

1pm - 3pm - Machynlleth Hospital - Staff Dining Room

Please feel free to call by if you'd like our assistance in finding or using information for your work, studies or research activities.

Further details, including dates of all future Library Surgeries in Powys, available on the Library's website.

Rural Health Matters Bulletin for October / November 2008

The latest edition of our Rural Health Matters bulletin is now available from the Library's website. We've published the bulletin in two parts this time :

Part 1 : General Rural Health issues; Allied Health; Children & Young People; Mental Health & Learning Disabilities; and Nursing & Midwifery.

Part 2 : Patient Care; Primary Care

If you'd like copies of any of the articles detailed in this issue, please complete the details on one of our request forms.

Library Surgeries

The Library will be holding two drop-in sessions in the next week or two :

Thursday 9th October - Llandrindod Wells Hospital - Staff Dining Room - 2pm to 4pm

Tuesday 14th October - Knighton Hospital - Staff Dining Room - 1pm to 3pm

Feel free to call by if you'd like assistance in finding information for work, research or study. No booking required.

Details of other dates for Library Surgeries across Powys can be found on the Library's website.

Rural Health Matters - September 2008

The September 2008 edition of Rural Health Matters is now available from the Library's website. Includes details of the latest research reports from the Wales Rural Observatory, together with recently published journal articles.

Library Drop-in Sessions at Hospitals across Powys

The Library will be holding a number of Library Surgeries at sites across Powys during September and October. The drop-in sessions are designed for anyone who would like assistance in locating information to support their work or educational activities. The dates for the next two months are :

Wed 24th Sept - Welshpool Hospital - 2pm to 4pm - Staff Dining Room
Tues 30th Sept - Llanidloes Hospital - 10am to 12noon - Internet Cafe
Tues 30th Sept - Machynlleth Hospital - 1pm to 3pm - Internet Cafe
Thurs 9th Oct - Llandrindod Hospital - 2pm to 4pm - Staff Dining Room
Tues 14th Oct - Knighton Hospital - 1pm to 3pm - Staff Dining Room
Thurs 23rd Oct - Newtown Hospital - 2pm to 4pm - Staff Room
Tues 29th Oct - Ystradgynlais Hospital - 2pm to 4pm - Staff Dining Room

You don't need to book a place to attend any of the Library Surgeries, just simply turn up on the day. Details of the dates for all Library Surgeries between September 2008 and June 2009 can be found on the Library's website .


The Library is also offering a number of workshops for staff wishing to learn more about the various NHS Wales E-Library for Health resources, such as the Cochrane Library, CINAHL and Medline, between now and June 2009. You'll find details of these workshops on the Library's website - you will need to book a place for the workshops, which you can do by visiting Powys' AT-Learning site.

If you'd like any additional information about the Library Surgeries or the Information Skills workshops available, please contact the Library on (01874) 712576 or email powys.library@powyslhb.wales.nhs.uk

New Online Library Catalogue for Powys LHB

The Library has a new online catalogue, Voyager, which you can now use to check to see what books, journals etc that we hold. You can access Voyager from work or home by going to http://library.cf.ac.uk

Voyager is the combined Cardiff University and All Wales NHS Libraries catalogue, so you'll not only see what we hold, but also what is available via other NHS Wales Libraries and Cardiff University Libraries. If we don't hold the item you want here in Powys, but another NHS Wales Library or Cardiff University Library does, the Library here is able to request a copy for you via our network. If you can't find the item on Voyager you can still request it via the Library here, as we also have links to other UK Library networks including the British Library.

For details on how to search Voyager, go to the Library's website at http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sites3/page.cfm?orgid=501&pid=11926 where you'll find links to Voyager and a guide to using Voyager, or contact the Library at Bronllys for further details and assistance.

We still have a few items to add to Voyager, such as our collections of journals and electronic textbooks, but they will also be listed on Voyager within the next few weeks.

Rural Health Matters - August 2008

The August edition of Rural Health Matters, detailing the latest research literature for rural health and wellbeing issues is now available via the Library's website. If you would like to request copies of any of the items listed, please complete a document request form.

Information Skills Workshops and Library Surgeries - New Calendar of dates for 2008 to 2009

The Library's new programme of Information Skills workshops for September 2008 to June 2009 are now available via the Library's Workshops pages. Workshops are open to all healthcare staff working in Powys. Available courses include : the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews; Clincial Databases on the OVID service; CINAHL on the new Ebsco Host service; and finding health information on the Internet. You can book a place for any of these workshops via the LHB's online Training system.

The Library also runs regular drop-in sessions at hospital sites across Powys. The sessions are ideal if you want help locating information for your work, research or studies. You don't need to book a place for these "Library Surgeries", just turn up on the day at the scheduled time. Details of the Library Surgeries' dates and locations can also be found on the Library's Workshops pages.

Welsh Affairs Committee - Interim Report on Cross Border Health Services Published

The House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee have published their Interim Report on the Provision of Cross-Border Health Services for Wales.

The report identifies the following set of key criteria for the development of future cross-border health policies :

• Clincial excellence as close to home as possible
• Border proofing of policy and practice
• Cross-border citizen engagement
• Transparent and accountable co-operation between localities, regions and governments

The full copy of the report is available from the Welsh Affairs Committee website.

Also available is the new version of the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation, which identifies those areas in Wales with the highest levels of deprivation indicators, including Health, Housing and Geographic Access to Services.

New Reports on Rural Issues

Three new reports relating to Rural Issues in England and Wales have recently been published:

Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Commission on Rural Housing in Wales. Final Report.
Includes recommendations for policy practice and changes to support the current and future housing needs of rural communities in Wales.

Taylor, M. Living Working Countryside : The Taylor Review of Rural Economy and Affordable Housing.
A review on how land use and planning can better support rural business and deliver affordable housing. The Review was presented to Government on 23 July 2008.

Welsh Assembly Government. Rural Development Sub-Committee. Consideration of Rural Development Sub-Committee report on its inquiry into poverty and deprivation in rural Wales. (Draft Report, July 2008).
Contains a number of recommendations realting to Access to Services (including Health); Housing; Transport; Government Policies; and Resource Allocation for Rural Areas.

Rural Health Matters Bulletin for July 2008

The July issue of our bulletin detailing the latest national and international research papers relating to Rural Health Matters is now available. Earlier issues of the bulletin can also be viewed on the Library's Information Bulletins webpage.

If you'd like to request copies of any of the articles detailed in Rural Health Matters, please complete a document supply request form.

Rural Health Matters - June 2008 issue now available

The June issue of our bulletin detailing the latest national and international research papers relating to Rural Health Matters is now available. Earlier issues of the bulletin can also be viewed on the Library's Information Bulletins webpage.

If you'd like to request copies of any of the articles detailed in Rural Health Matters, please complete a document supply request form.

Rural Health Matters

The first issue of our Rural Health Matters research bulletin is now available from the Library's website. The bulletin will be published monthly, and details the latest journal literature focusing on health care in a rural setting from the UK and the rest of the world.

If you would like copies of any of the articles listed in Rural Health Matters, please complete an article request form.

CINAHL on Ebsco Host - User Guide Now Available

A guide to using the new version of CINAHL (the Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health) database via the Ebsco Host Service on the NHS Wales E-library for Health is now available on our website at http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sites3/page.cfm?orgid=501&pid=11907 in the documents section (bottom of the page).

Please note that CINAHL is no longer available via the OVID SP service, and that you will require an NHS Wales Athens username in order to access the new version of CINAHL – please contact the Library if you would like an Athens account. Medline, PsychInfo etc are still available via the OVID SP service.

NHS Choices : Behind the Headlines

We've added the Behind the Headlines health news feed to our blog. This service provides an evidence-based analysis of the latest health stories which make the news. Behind the Headlines looks at what the media have said, and then at how accurately the news stories reflect the actual research upon which the story is based. Behind the Headlines is updated daily. The service is aimed at both the general public and healthcare professionals. Links to both the news items, and research literature are provided.

This service replaces the earlier Hitting the Headlines service from the NHS Centre for Reviews & Dissemination at York Univeristy. You can still access the Hitting the Headlines Archive via NHS England's National Library for Health.

Access to CINAHL (Nursing & Allied Health) database

If you use the CINAHL Nursing & Allied Health Database to find research literature, via the NHS Wales E-Library for Health (www.wales.nhs.uk/ehl) or via the Athens service (www.athensams.net/myathens), please note that CINAHL is no longer available via the OVID SP service.

You'll now find CINAHL available using a new service called EbscoHost, which you can access via the NHS Wales E-Library for Health or via Athens. You will need to have an Athens username to use this new version of CINAHL, so please contact the Library if you need an Athens username or your current Athens username has expired.

I'm sorry about the sudden change in access to CINAHL, but we've only just found out ourselves about the change - the NHS Libraries weren't expecting the change to happen for sometime yet. I'm hoping we'll have a user guide for the new version of CINAHL available very soon, but in the meantime, if you have problems using the new version of CINAHL please contact the Library on (01874) 712576 or email powys.library@powyslhb.wales.nhs.uk.

Welsh Assembly Government Consultation on the Proposed Changes to NHS Wales

The Welsh Assembly Government consultation on proposed changes to the structure of NHS Wales, announced on 2nd April 2008, can be found on the Welsh Assembly Government website at :

http://new.wales.gov.uk/consultations/currentconsultation/healandsoccarecurrcons/nhswales/?lang=en

Careers & Technology in Healthcare 2008 - Tuesday 4th March 2008

Don't forget that we'll be at the Careers & Technology in Healthcare 2008 event being hosted by Powys tLHB on Tuesday 4th March 2008, at the Media Resource Centre, Oxford Road, Llandrindod Wells, from 9.30am to 5.00pm.

The event is open to all those working in healthcare in Powys, and to all Year 9+ students at any Powys school, plus anyone interested in a career in healthcare. You'll be able to talk to a wide range of healthcare professionals about their work, and the training and development opportunities which exist in the NHS.

As part of the day, the Library will be demonstrating the range of virtual libraires for healthcare, and the use of Web 2.0 technologies, such as blogs and wikis, which can be used to share knowledge and good practice in healthcare settings.

New OVID SP Database Interface - February 4th 2008

Those of you who use any of the clinical databases, such as Medline, CINAHL, or the NHS Wales E-journals, will notice a few changes to the OVID database system from February 4th 2008.

We've put together a user guide for the new OVID interface, which you can find on our library website at http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sites3/Documents/501/new%20ovid%202008.pdf

If you need any help using the new, improved, version of the OVID databases, please contact the Library at Bronllys - email powys.library@powyslhb.wales.nhs.uk or telephone (01874) 712576.