Background
The Contact, Help, Advice and Information Network (CHAIN) is an online network for people working in health and social care. CHAIN is both multi-professional and cross-organisational and is based around specific areas of interest. This gives people a simple and informal way of contacting each other to exchange ideas and share knowledge.

Joining CHAIN is free. The only criteria for membership are an interest in the subject and a willingness to share information and experience. By carefully targeted emails, CHAIN ensures that members receive messages which are only relevant to their areas of interest.

In 2007 the Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH) and the Health Intelligence Directorate of the Health Service Executive (HSE) agreed to co-sponsor an all-Ireland CHAIN. This includes a new special interest group for health analysts.

Aims
The aim of the Health Analysts’ Special Interest Group (SIG) is to support the community of health analysts to make a more effective contribution to the health intelligence function and allow them to share their expertise and experience through a network of colleagues across the island of Ireland.

The Health Analysts’ SIG will support members by:

• providing day-to-day support and advice;
• creating a forum to discuss datasources and analytical techniques;
• assisting in the contribution to professional development.

To become a member of the Health Analysts’ SIG, join the CHAIN network on its website. Select the CHAIN component you would like to join. Fill in your personal details and under the sub-groups heading you will find the “Quality Improvement” cross-cutting subgroup. Beneath this the list of special interest groups are listed so you can select Health Analysts.

Progress report (updated April 2008)
Currently 96 persons have joined the group through the CHAIN website. The majority of members are from across the island of Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.

An inaugural meeting of the Health Analysts’ SIG was held on March 25th 2008 in Dublin. The event was both well attended and well received. Attendees heard from the facilitator of the group, Lorraine Fahy, as well as from Dr. Conor Teljeur, a Senior Research Fellow who works in the Department of Public Health & Primary Care at Trinity College Dublin. Dr. Teljeur reflected on his own career path, some of the projects he has worked on as well as the problems/issues he came across when analysing data.

A similar meeting will also be held in Belfast on April 23rd, and the guest speaker will be Dr. Tracy Power, a Senior Principal Statistician working in the Information & Analysis Directorate in the Department of Health, Social Services & Public Safety in Northern Ireland

Contact: Lorraine Fahy