Dear Colleagues

The following message has been issued regarding the future model of working for NHS Evidence which will have a direct impact on our collection. We would be grateful if this could be circulated to your members. We anticipate that further information will be reported by Alexia at our annual stakeholder meeting in September.

Many thanks

Steve

Steve Sharp, Knowledge Manager
NHS Evidence - ENT and audiology

Tel: 01865 231052 | Mobile: 07966 740913
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Web www.library.nhs.uk/ent  

In April 2011, NHS Evidence will launch a redesigned and improved specialist evidence service to replace the existing model of 30 Specialist Collections. It will provide users with easy access to a consistently high quality and more comprehensive range of clinical information.

The new service will be organised in three centres around the country, each responsible for managing about 10 speciality areas. Topic coverage will be extended and greater emphasis will be placed on quality assurance and standardisation of processes and products across topic areas. Key activities of each centre will include hand-picking content from sources of information accessible through NHS Evidence, searching and identifying content from specialist sources, tagging resources/allocating to an agreed taxonomy, identifying entries for UK DUETs, preparing  and programme managing Evidence Updates on selected key topics within the hub’s remit.

One of these centres will be managed by NHS Evidence in Manchester and the other two will be managed by external providers chosen through a procurement process. Details of the procurement process are available on our NICE website on http://www.nice.org.uk/aboutnice/tenders/eoiclinicalhubcentrespriorinformationnotice.jsp

There will obviously be change involved for the current Specialist Collection teams and their reference/stakeholder groups, but we see continued engagement with stakeholders and specialist communities as being critical to the success of the future model.  During this transition phase, we are asking all of you – as users of, contributors to, and advisors to the collections - to keep engaged with the service. The current Specialist Collections contracts are running until the end of March, and as part of those contracts, we are asking all our reference and steering groups to continue to operate as normal. We want you  to keep sending feedback and queries. We are asking you to maintain your links with the collection teams and continue to help surface important new evidence.

We are committing to keep everyone informed as soon as further detail becomes available about the new ways of working. We expect greater clarity will be available from September onwards once the procurement process for the Evidence Hub Centres is under way.

We thank you for your continued commitment to the Specialist Collections and look forward to delivering, with you and for you, an even better service in the very near future.

Alexia Tonnel

Interim Programme Director: Specialist Collections

NHS Evidence

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

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