Dear Colleague,

On behalf of the British Medical Informatics Society,  
I would like to cordially invite you to a one-day meeting:

 Information for Health in the New NHS: The New Strategy And Medical
Informatics In The NHS

                                    January 19th 1999: 9.30 - 5.00
                                      Paul Wood Lecture Theatre
                                    National Heart and Lung Institute
                                        Cale St, London SW3


On 24 September 1998 the Government published 'Information for Health:
 an Information Strategy for the Modern NHS'

The purpose of this meeting is to bring together members of the medical
 informatics unity in the NHS Trust sector, domain experts and clinical 
IT users to discuss how to respond to the challenges and opportunities 
Information for Health will be offering over the coming period.

Some of the questions this meeting is expected to discuss…

· GP links - the Government has committed to a massive investment in GP 
links: what do the hospitals have to do, and what can they gain?
· NHS Terms (alias Read Codes) - will they work in the hospital sector?
 What is the evidence from their use so far? Are they on course to meet 
the challenge? Are systems suppliers ready to support using them? When 
will the NHSE start seriously twisting the Trusts' arms to use them?
· 'New NHS', 'Clinical Governance' - is this a revolution in hospital 
management? Will it revolutionise the role of IM&T services within Trusts? 
Who will lead the changes?
· 'Clinical Governance' in practice - what is already happening on the ground, 
what is planned? [care pathways / protocols / ordering and requesting / 
clinical audit / knowledge services… ]
· The new external forces for change in the Trust sector [NICE, CHE, 
Health Improvement Plans…] - how will they affect policy and priorities for
IM&T? 
· Hospitals and the National Electronic Library of Health - do they 
have a role as knowledge providers, do they have a voice as knowledge users?
· Medical Informatics as a profession in the NHS - has the NHS recognised 
it needs one? If so, what role does it see for professional societies and 
institutes [BMIS; BCS; UK-IHI; … ] ?

Speakers confirmed so far include:

· David Robinson, NHS Centre for Coding and Classification, will speak 
about the recent developments in the NHS Clinical Terms relevant to 
their implementation in the NHS hospital sector.
· Muir Gray, Director of Research and Development, NHS Executive Anglia 
and Oxford, will speak about the role of the National Electronic Library 
of Health.
· Jo Milan, Head of IM&T, Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Trust, will put 
a Trust IM&T view on NHS Codes implementation and other issues.
· Ian Purves (Chair, Joint Computer of the RCGP and GMSC), will speak 
(subject to confirmed availability) about the demands on Trusts from 
the primary care sector which the Strategy is geared to satisfy. 
· Peter Drury, NHS Executive, will set out the centre's vision on how 
the strategy will take shape in the NHS Trusts. 

"The purpose of this information strategy is to ensure information is 
used to help patients receive the best possible care. The strategy will 
enable NHS professionals to have the information they need both to 
provide that care and to play their part in improving the public's health. 
The strategy also aims to ensure that patients, carers and the public have 
the information necessary to make decisions about their own treatment and 
care, and to influence the shape of health services generally."
- Information for Health : www.imt4nhs.exec.nhs.uk

This is expected to be a well attended and lively meeting on developments 
in the NHS which many hope will bring historic steps forward for the 
practical role of medical informatics in healthcare. 

A leaflet with booking form is attached; there is a web page on the 
meeting at: 
 http://www.rbh.nthames.nhs.uk/workshop/Bmis.htm

Registration fees:
BMiS member	£25.00   
Non-BMiS member	£35.00   
Student	£15.00   
Multiple corporate bookings	£20.00/person    



If you would care to pass this on to any appropriate email list or lisserver, 
or can link the page to your website, we would be most grateful.

Kind regards,




 
 Colin Gordon
 
 
 Project Manager, PRESTIGE
 Honorary Treasurer, British Medical Informatics Society

 Information Services
 Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Trust
 Sydney Street
 London SW3 6NP
 
 Tel +44 171 351 8706
 Fax +44 171 351 8781 !NOTE NEW NUMBER
 
 Email : [log in to unmask]

 Web URL: http://www.rbh.nthames.nhs.uk