Library closure for refurbishment

Friday 20 August - Friday 17 September
Temporary reception point during refurbishment closure

The Royal Free Hospital Medical Library is closed for essential entrance refurbishment works and is due to re-open on 20 September (the date has been extended slightly to accommodate overrunning works). Library staff can still be contacted by email.

A temporary reception point is in operation, offering limited services, 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. It is situated in the foyer at the entrance to the Medical School Administration corridor, near the Rowland Hill Street entrance. Completed membership forms, interlibrary loan forms, store requests and search request forms for searches for the Clinical Effectiveness Enquiry Service may be handed in at the temporary reception point. Library cards can be collected, and books can be issued, renewed and reserved. Newspapers will also be available.

During the closed period library staff will offer a book and journal fetching service. This will be subject to access and may be unavailable on certain days. Request forms will be available at the reception point. Requests made before 12pm will be available by 3pm the same day. Requests made after 12pm will be available at 9am the next working day. Items will be kept at the reception point for 24 hours before being returned to the shelves.

Please note, books due back during this closed period should be returned to the red book returns box outside the lecture theatres on the ground floor (in the corridor opposite the Rowland Hill Street entrance).

We will be doing our best to maintain access to as wide a range of resources and services as possible during the temporary closure – which we hope will not cause significant inconvenience.

Library closed Sat 8th May

The Library will close at 7pm on Friday 7th May due to a power supply shutdown.  The library will remain closed on Saturday 8th May and reopen Monday 10th May as normal.

There will be no computer access in the library after 5.30pm on Friday.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused

May Bank Holiday opening hours

The Medical Library will be open on Bank Holiday Monday, May 3rd, from 9.00 am to 4.00 pm.

Multiple Sclerosis Annual Evidence Update 2010

The 2010 AEU on Multiple Sclerosis is now available

NHS Evidence Annual Evidence Updates (AEUs) attempt to draw together recently published, high quality evidence - focusing particularly on systematic reviews and published guidelines - which it is hoped will inform and enhance the decision making and planning of clinicians, commissioners and others involved in the process of health care.

Map of Medicine pathways now accessible without username and password

Access to the national version of Map of Medicine pathways is now available without a password.  See press release below.

Localised versions of some pathways are available at the Royal Free,  to access these you will still need to log in with your Athens username and password.

"Clinicians can now access Map of Medicine pathways quickly and more easily, without having to remember a username and password.


Login-free access to England and Wales national pathways is available through NHS Evidence search results. The Map delivers information to clinicians at their fingertips, allowing them to choose what is right for their patients.

The Map provides clinicians with best practice pathways that represent an ideal approach to care from a clinical perspective, incorporating evidence-based information, expert knowledge and national policy. It is an easy to use, web-based solution that is now accessible through NHS Evidence."

Fairer health in the future - The Marmot Review

11 Feb - A major report on tackling health inequalities for the next 10 years and beyond was welcomed today by the Secretary of State for Health, Andy Burnham. Professor Sir Michael Marmot of UCL was asked by the Government to provide a clear set of short, medium, and long term objectives to inform how health inequalities can be dramatically reduced. The report Fair Society, Healthy Lives is a thorough and comprehensive analysis of health inequalities in England today and it identifies key areas for future action. It will help set the direction beyond current targets, for the next 10 years and beyond. RCP President Professor Ian Gilmore was one of the ten commissioners of the review, he said: "This report is a wake up call for society at large. I hope that doctors and other health professionals will seize the opportunity to be strong advocates for tackling the inequities in their communities that result in the start differences in health outcomes, which remain unacceptable in a civilised society." © Crown copyright

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/gheg/marmotreview
 
This news item has been taken from the RCP Health Information Digest. If you'd like to sign up for regular updates from this, visit http://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/Media/Digest/Pages/Signup.aspx  



For more information about signing up to this and other news sources, email info.skills@medsch.ucl.ac.uk

New website launched!

Those of you who read this via an RSS reader may not have seen that we have just relaunched our website.  We hope the new design will make it easier for you to find the information you need.  If you have any feedback, please email info.skills@medsch.ucl.ac.uk

Annual Evidence Update on Tinnitus

NHS Evidence - ENT and audiology has prepared an annual evidence update on Tinnitus.  This has the aim of presenting expert opinion linked to a comprehensive collection of up-to-date research evidence. An exclusive preview of a forthcoming Cochrane review is also included.

GMC sets out vision for the future of medical regulation

27 Jan - Patient safety and the quality of healthcare lie at the heart of an ambitious programme of work set out by the GMC in its 2010-2013 Corporate Strategy. At the core of this Strategy are three major changes: a rigorous system of revalidation for doctors will be introduced from 2011; for the first time, the GMC will have responsibility for regulating all stages of medical education and training following the merger of PMETB with the GMC in April 2010; and in 2011, our adjudication function will move to the newly established Office of the Health Professions Adjudicator. © General Medical Council

• Full press release

• GMC Business Plan and Corporate Strategy 2010-2013


This news item has been taken from the RCP Health Information Digest. If you'd like to sign up for regular updates from this, visit http://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/Media/Digest/Pages/Signup.aspx
For more information about signing up to this and other news sources, email info.skills@medsch.ucl.ac.uk

Quality measures "can improve quality of care but risk misinterpretation"

21 Jan - Greater use of quality measures in the NHS has real potential for improving the quality of care, but care must be taken to avoid misleading patients, distorting priorities and damaging staff morale, says The King's Fund. In its discussion paper, Getting the measure of quality, the Fund sets out the issues that should be considered in developing and using indicators for measuring quality. The Fund stresses the need to avoid misinterpretation and confusion by being clear about the different audiences for quality measures and how they will use them. It also suggests that the NHS should widen the scope of quality measurement to include measures of productivity, efficiency and inequality, as well as those that capture quality across patient pathways. © King's Fund

Taken from the RCP Health Information Digest.  If you'd like to sign up for regular updates from this and other news sources, email info.skills@medsch.ucl.ac.uk

Cochrane Evidence Aid: resources for Haiti earthquake

A selection of systematic reviews and their conclusions from The Cochrane Library on healthcare topics that our colleagues in aid agencies have reported as important at this time. These are signposts to systematic reviews that might be helpful to decision-makers. All countries in Latin America and the Caribbean can access The Cochrane Library for free via the Virtual Health Library BIREME interface (in English, Spanish or Portuguese).

http://www.cochrane.org/evidenceaid/haiti/index.html

Annual Evidence Update on Patient and carer involvement in chronic disease

The 2010 Annual Evidence Update on 'Patient and carer involvement in chronic disease' is now available.

If you cannot easily follow the link above, please access it via the collection’s home page:
http://www.library.nhs.uk/palliative/