News

Not a mail order site dedicated to novelty lava lamps, but an excellent "gateway to information on mental health throughout Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland", writes Graham Hopkins. Lamp is not to be taken lightly - an independent voluntary organisation, it champions the rights of service users to have informed choices about their services. Lamp recognises that for mental health users (as with all others) it is a lack of knowledge that keeps people in the dark. This site is floodlit with information, advice, newsletters and articles (including one on "being mad and queer"), and has a lively, if under-used, discussion forum.

www.southernderbyshire.nhs.uk

Whereas Lamp shines brightly, this East Midlands website struggles to flicker, writes Graham Hopkins. The information may be there but the design isn't. The "what we do" section, for example, is in woefully small print. I worry about the NHS's grip on engaging people - boardroom-speak such as "HImP for each PCG, demonstrating action on the seven priorities" or "the matrix of health improvement" is a waste of time. And why organisations put photographs of their executive directors (people you will never meet) online baffles me. Where Lamp is truly plugged in, this is a turn-off.

www.fshc.co.uk

Rather than trying to become a portal of health care news and information, as some do, this attractive-on-the-eye, easy-to-navigate site simply sets out to inform the visitor about Four Seasons Health Care and its services, writes James Taylor. If you want to find out more about the company, get advice on some aspects of going into care or see what reports have been written by the specialists in areas such as eating disorders, then the information is there. Nothing revolutionary, but it's quick, clear and does the business.