Some weeks ago we blogged about our effort to capture some of the web estate of the NHS. There was an urgency in this, as Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs) and some other organisations would cease to exist at the beginning of April, as the reforms under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 took effect. And at that point those bodies would no longer be obliged to keep those sites available.

We're now delighted to be able to announce the launch of this collection of over three hundred sites. It contains the sites of the SHAs and the PCTs, grouped by region. It also includes the Local Involvement Networks (now superseded by Healthwatch).

The collection also includes sites such as that of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), the Health Protection Agency, and information about the change from the Department of Health, and from the media.

Thanks to the tireless work of Ravish Mistry, the archive of sites from the PCTs and SHAs is comprehensive, and the coverage of the other types of sites is very full. The collection represents a highly important resource for future historians of the National Health Service, as well as being a reference point for more current discussion of the implementation of the reforms as they continue.

Peter Webster
Web Archiving Engagement and Liaison Manager, British Library