The NHS/HE Forum

Abstract

This paper discusses the formation of the NHS-HE
 Forum by Professor Roland Rosner in 200 I . It looks
 at the aims and objectives of the Forum and maps
 current progress. The second part of the paper looks
 particularly at the NHS-HE Procurement Group and
 the later JISC NHS-HE Procurement Group, which are
 part of the Forum. These groupings have been partially
 successful in conducting joint procurement activity
 across the NHS and HE sectors. The publication of Dr
 lan Gibson's Parliamentary Report Scientific Publications:
 Free for All? is seminal in progressing this joint acrivity.
 As of I February 2006, joint membership of the Public
 Library of Science has been achieved, but one joint
 procurement activity of commercial content has failed.
 Further joint procurement is planned, along with a
 mapping study of procurement activities and work on
 an Athens Account Linking Project. The library and
 informatics research componenrs are coming to the
 fore with the use of a community-wide survey to
 establish the current situation and future plans for
 NHS-HE network connectivity and similarly the
 Mapping Study of Procurement Practices in the NHS
 and HE for content such as e-journals. This is moving
 to a more systematic approach than previously. The
 attempted joint procurement of selected journals has
 two joint aims: to support both research and clinical
 practice in the NHS and HE.