NEPHO's information technology team specialise in the study, design, development, implementation, support and management of computer-based information systems. This is vital to the work of the public health observatory. This group is being developed to bring together information about how NEPHO use IT now and in the future.

NEPHO is based on two sites - at the University of Durham's Queens Campus in Stockton on Tees, and at the University of Newcastle's Claremont Road site in Newcastle Upon Tyne.

We work with the IT services at both Durham and Newcastle University who provide support for standard day-to-day functions.

We make use of specialist IT facilities which allow us to securely access and analyse a wide range of health-related data sets.

In 2007, NEPHO were commissioned to develop a regional health intelligence network platform called PHINE. The vision was to create a single website platform which would act as a hub for sharing information and intelligence across the North East.

Our central hub, http://www.phine.org.uk hosts many discussion groups who are helping to shape the regional health strategy, Better Health, Fairer Health. While much of the functionality was developed specifically for PHINE and NEPHO's own website, we have been approached by various other user groups within the region who see the benefit of being part of a single information sharing network. Where there is a synergy with our development, these 'spokes' have been added.