Online resource for ethnicity and health doubles content

Specialist Library for Ethnicity & Health, designed to provide health professionals with the latest research and information on ethnic minority health, has announced two successes - in the last year it has doubled the number of research articles it provides, and now the NHS is backing it with a new contract to 2011.

The Specialist Library for Ethnicity & Health (SLEH) is a key way in which the NHS shows its commitment to improving the quality of healthcare to its black and minority ethnic patients. It was created by the collaborative Centre for Evidence in Ethnicity Health & Diversity at the University of Warwick and De Montfort University in Leicester.

SLEH was launched in October 2006 and now has over 600 articles on line providing quality-assured evidence and web-based resources relating to minority ethnic health held in the NHS Knowledge Service. The 600th article to go on line detailed new research on unrecognised severe vitamin D deficiency in UK patients of South Asian origin.

Prof. Raman Bedi of King's College London, Chair of SLEH's Advisory Board, said "This is a remarkable achievement and of immense importance to support the ambition of the NHS in its 60th year to provide a health care service fit for the diverse communities of 21st Century Britain. The UK is leading the world in building an evidence base for addressing the healthcare of its diverse community."

The SLEH team now intend to extend its work across Europe. Professor Manuel Carballo, of the Geneva-based International Centre for Migration and Health, says "We are fully supportive of the plans of SLEH, which will also assist our objective of creating an international curriculum for culturally competent healthcare practitioners across Europe".

The NHS SLEH is free to access by anyone, and can be found at: www.library.nhs.uk/ethnicity