Web 2.0 comes to the NHS

News just in from Dr Mark Greenhalgh Clinical Networking Strategy Lead, NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement:

“A social network pilot for the UK renal community will be going live in March, all being well. This is internal to the NHS, but will utilize a full complement of social networking tools. This is among the very first of initiatives to bring the Web 2.0 philosophy to health in the UK – particularly within the NHS.


“The site will support two communities during its pilot phase – the Practice Partner Network – a network supporting early adoption and trial of the products and output from the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement and also the informal UK kidney community – clinicians and patients, plus other support staff involved with the care of patients with kidney disease. It may help to support the renal National Quality Improvement Initiative – a move to raise the standard of kidney services in the areas doing less well, towards the standards achieved by the best services – there are 53 services in England.

“If this goes well, it may influence the adoption of the approach across the NHS.” Another