Dear Hazel
I've had a look at the National Prescribing Centre Initiatives database, at http://194.101.1.12/Init/Init.html. It said I was user 701 since October 1999.
If this database is like some of the others that have been commissioned by the NHS Executive in recent years it will allow people to enter information about initiatives they are involved in. But before they can enter data they need to be assigned a password. This would either come from the Regional Office, of the Trust Chief Exec, or perhaps in this case from the PPA:
Address:
Prescription Pricing Authority
Help Desk
Block B
Scottish Life House
Archbold Terrace
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE2 1DB
Telephone:
(0191) 203 5050
As far as I can tell there is no way to browse the database unless you are a member. If this is the case then the whole effort of putting data on the system has been wasted.
I don't know why the database was made available through Port 12345. A Port is just the gate that applications use. For example the web browser normally uses Port 80. Seems pointless to insist on this high end Port Number. Perhaps there is a reason. Security? But it's already hard enough to get at. Also, you'll need a browser that can run Java applets just to see the database.
So all in all its easy to see why the database has had 701 users in a year. Has anyone else used this service?
--Ben Toth
-----Original Message-----
From: p=NHS NATIONAL
INT;a=NHS;c=GB;dda:RFC-822=lis-medical-request(a)mailbase.ac.uk;
Sent: 16 October 2000 11:30
To: p=NHS NATIONAL
INT;a=NHS;c=GB;dda:RFC-822=lis-medical(a)mailbase.ac.uk;
Subject: National Prescribing Centre website
Hi everyone
Help!
Weare trying to get access to this site. IT have been and enabled the appropriate 12345 port(no I don't know what it means!) but we can't now figure how to register for it either as an individual or as a library. The pharmacy want access once we've figured it....
Can anyone advise?
Hazel Croucher
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