CASH Timeline

The project investigated existing services and proposed a collaborative approach

• Trent Information Bulletin produced monthly
• Paper bulletin distributed via email by each individual library service
• Each librarian sent in contributions for the editorial team to collate 
• Benefits: good working relationships, sustainable service, ability to promote our services
• Positive feedback from users

The editorial team are: Heather Gardner (Project lead), Alison Sherratt (North Notts) and Angela Clifford (SHA)

Sheffield introduced the Daily Health Bulletin and Jill Rutt wins an award.

The bid was unsuccessful, but with support from Richard Marriot, Regional Library Advisor, we were able to discuss our ideas with The Improvement Network (TIN) website manager, Jacqui Fowler.  We developed a database to enable contributors to share the entries for the bulletin.  Along the way we had advice from NLH and some funding to enable sharing of information between websites using RSS. We learn new skills and David Brunt joins the editorial team. 

The database is the hub of the service and we begin entering data in January 2004.

The categories reflect the different topics covered in the original bulletin: NSFs, health service management, public health, health promotion, legal and parliamentary information, statistics and social care. Each contributor is assigned a category and enters 2-3 items per week. The output from the database is used to produce the monthly bulletin.

We publish articles:

Health Information on the Interenet (HIOTI), Volume 41, August 2004 (Download from publisher website)

British Journal of Healthcare Computing and Information Management (BJHC&IM), December 2004, Volume 21, Number 10, p13

Towards the end of 2004 another team become involved in entering data about health promotion topics to produce a bulletin for health visitors, school nurses, teachers and other professionals involved in this area.

NLH were looking at librarians collaborating to produce content , particularly for RSS feeds. A Current Awareness Steering Group is established by Sue Lacey-Bryant and two of the editors, David and Heather, are asked to sit on the group. Sue asked for expressions of interest from librarians interested in working together to provide a national service and 40 librarians replied from a mixture of different settings. Some were already providing a CA service and it was hoped that TIN could be used to enable librarians to share their information and prevent duplication of effort.

At the Building on Success Award day the editors are invited to deliver a presentation about the service. We build on the Knowledge is Power theme and produce a colourful poster. The poster and presentation are available to download from the bottom of this page.

Trent Primary Care Current Awareness Service is renamed PCCAS.

We receive a letter of support for the work of PCCAS from Sir Muir Gray (Director NLH).

The Health Management Specialist Library use our RSS feed and provide a link on their website.

PCCAS and the NLH RSS Directory promoted in a November Study Day by Heather Gardner and Steven Ashwell. The presentation is available to download from the bottom of this page.

Des Conway joins the editorial team as editor of the Health Promotion Bulletin.

Some enhancements are made to the EIBS (EasySite) content management system.

TIN editors hold an RSS Study Day that is very well attended by librarians across the East Midlands

• RSS Directory is populated with the PCCAS feeds and goes live
• With the uptake of RSS feeds the editors of both bulletins decide to stop publication
• Primary Care Trusts have another massive re-organisation and a shift in focus
• Gaps in the coverage are identified and potential contributors approached
• PCCAS officially launched at HLG Conference, but very low key
• Hopes of any funding from NLH dashed
• PCCAS gains additional contributors from Staffordshire, Lincolnshire, Oxford and Milton Keynes
• A new team is formed to look at adding content of interest to health librarians in a For Librarians section

The SHA Knowledge Service is closed in the re-structuring

• The service needs to change to reflect the new priorities of the PCTs
• A study day is held to consult with contributors on the proposed changes
• Latest updates in CFS are added with input from the CFS network co-ordinator
• Other bulletins are added to the TIN website - The Big Four and Cancer Services Bulletin

PCCAS makes a successful bid for funding to NLH.

• PCCAS is renamed CASH - the Current Awareness Service for Health

• The purpose of CASH is to build on the firm foundations of Primary Care whilst extending its remit to cover two other key sectors - Secondary Care and Mental Health

• The Management Board begins recruiting a Service Officer for CASH
  

Kath Williams is recruited into the role of Service Officer.

CASH publishes an article for the CILIP Health Libraries Group Newsletter (Vol 26, Number 4, December 2009). Download from publisher website

NLH is replaced by NHS Evidence and CASH loses its funding.

• The Management Board meet to discuss the future of CASH

• A brief study suggests that CASH still offers a valuable service to its end-users, and a decision is taken to seek further funding

• CASH opens discussions with the Strategic Health Authority Library Leads (SHALL) group to continue funding a national current awareness service

CASH makes a successful bid for funding to the SHALL group. The funding agreement with SHALL includes engagement with the ten SHA Library Leads, who will act as CASH Champions in their regions, encouraging library staff to sign-up with the service to maximise coverage across the 3 sectors.

• CASH hosts a Study Day at the Riverside Centre in Derby on 17th March. Click here to view the presentations

• Kath Williams promotes the service at numerous regional and national events, including the HLG Conference in Manchester.

• Kath Williams writes articles for the Libraries for Nursing Bulletin and INFORM

• CASH produces publicity materials

CASH makes a second successful bid for funding to the SHALL group.

• Kath Williams promotes the service at various national and regional events, including a meeting of mental health librarians in Birmingham on the 9th September and a networking event for hospice librarians in London on the 21st October
• Kath Williams writes two articles for the SHALL Library SandPit
• The repository of current awareness bulletins on TIN expands significantly to include over 30 topic areas across primary care, secondary care and mental health.