www.lampdirect.org.uk

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.