The site today
The Society’s first website, www.bgs.org.uk was launched onto the world wide web in 1996, and from humble fluorescent green beginnings went on to receive a commendation from the British Medical Journal for the quality of its content, its clarity and ease of navigation. Today it is a large site carrying the Society’s compendium of guidelines and policy statements, links through to on-line registration for meetings, details of grants and more.

Members only
The latest development is a members’ only area. The purpose of this section is to enable members to have access to information which would be inappropriate or illegal (Data Protection Act) to publish for wider access. The site will host the up-to-date Handbook. The Handbook serves as a useful source of information on e.g. the Society’s history, details of officeholders, SIGs/Sections, committee and council membership, and grants and prizes. Most importantly, the Handbook serves as a register of members, which by being in electronic form will in future be updated every quarter. It will enable members to look up the contact details of their colleagues and it may be downloaded by those who prefer a written record. Please note, however, that the information is confidential in that members may disclose their private addresses, which may not otherwise be available even in the Medical Index.

Documents for discussion at UK level will also be posted to the site for members to download and comment. The site will be operational as of 15 September 2003 and can only be accessed using a unique username and password.

Members wishing to access the site should send an e-mail to annette-guerda-fischer@bgs.org.uk requesting access to the new members’ only area on the BGS website. Upon receipt of this e-mail a unique username and password will be issued.

BGS National Websites
In the wake of devolution, the national branches of the BGS have established their own websites covering issues relevant to their respective memberships. These have been developed and are maintained independently of the main UK site, although the visitor can link through to a national site from the UK site. The format and emphasis on each national website may differ slightly, but the intention is that they will carry reports, publications of relevance to the local membership, dates and programmes of meetings, and details of the representatives on the respective national councils.

The England site, still under construction, currently publishes minutes of all its meetings. At the moment this is accessible by all, but in time these may be moved to a secure password protected area on the site. Under “current issues”, the site carries reports or links to reports being debated at both English and UK level. Subject to demand, there may be a discussion forum where the local membership could post their views.
www.bgs-england.org.uk

The Northern Ireland site, along with a Trainees’ section, specialises in an exhaustive and useful list of links to on-line journals and electronic books and texts, including evidence-based guidelines. Most of these will have UK-wide (and even international) relevance for health care professionals.
www.nibgs.org.uk

The Scotland site, also under construction, publishes copies of the BGS Scotland Newsletter which began life long before devolution. It incorporates comprehensive sections on the academic centres in Scotland, job vacancies and also a Trainees Section. It too will have a discussion forum.
www.bgs-scotland.org.uk


While the Wales site also has training and events sections, it has a sophisticated search facility to cater for visitors wishing to trawl its extensive list of services guidelines and reports on issues of topical interest, again, having both local, UK-wide and, in some cases, international relevance.
www.eldermedcymru.org.uk

On line newsletter (www.bgsnet.org.uk)
There is a discussion forum available to both the membership and health professionals. In the interests of keeping the site free of Internet vandals who are inclined to post vacuous rubbish on discussion forums, participants need to register on the forum. We would urge members to register and post their views. It has been very quiet to date, but provides a useful vehicle for debate and communication among members.

Recia Atkins and Annette Guerda-Fischer
BGS Office