About the Wessex classification scheme

A classification and subject indexing scheme for print and online resources, designed for healthcare library and knowledge services in the United Kingdom (UK).

The Wessex classification scheme covers all subject areas that might be found in UK healthcare libraries, and is suitable for use for print and online resources as an aid to resource discovery.

The scheme also provides a subject headings index that can be used within a library management system or institutional repositories to act as an authority file for subject headings.

While based on the national library of medicine’s medical subject headings (MeSH) scheme, the subject headings use British spellings, and there are a number of additional or amended headings to reflect differences in UK healthcare practice, and more recently there have been changes to improve inclusivity.

The complete set of classification schedules and subject indexes can be accessed on the South and West Information Management System (SWIMS) Network website, and are freely available for any UK healthcare library to use.

Management of the scheme

The Wessex classification scheme is managed by an oversight group with representatives from many NHS regions in England. The oversight group has a workspace on FutureNHS, and the lead for the group is Jason Curtis ([email protected]).

The work of the group is supported as part of the Resource Discovery workstream.

In addition to oversight meetings around every six weeks, there are a number of separate sub-groups looking at specific areas.

New members of the oversight group and the sub-groups are always welcome, from all grades of library staff. Membership of the oversight group or the sub-groups can be helpful for meeting Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) Professional Knowledge and Skills Base (PKSB) criteria 05.3 (Information architecture) and 05.5 (Classification schemes and taxonomies).

Updates to the scheme

Updates to the scheme are made on a regular basis, and details are published in the resource discovery digest newsletter.

You can subscribe to the Resource Discovery Digest (RDD) newsletter.

Suggesting changes to the scheme

Suggestions are always welcome and there is an online suggestions form.

There is a sub-group that meets regularly to consider suggestions, and this will then make recommendations to the oversight group before the changes are made to the scheme.

Why use the Wessex Classification Scheme?

• It is the only classification scheme specifically designed for use in UK healthcare libraries and is widely used across the NHS
• It is supported by NHS England and has an active Oversight Group that publishes updates each quarter
• The Oversight Group and sub-groups have been making changes to the scheme and ensuring that the language used is inclusive, up to date, and reflects UK practice
• Suggestions for changes and additions are welcomed and new members of the Oversight Group are welcomed from all grades of library staff
• The Wessex Subject Headings thesaurus consists of over 7,000 headings and well as being an index to the classification, is suitable for subject indexing in both library catalogues and institutional repositories

A brief history of the Wessex Classification Scheme

In the early 1980s the librarians of the Wessex Regional Library and Information Service (WRLIS) based in Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire, in liaison with colleagues in other regions, adapted the National Library of Medicine (NLM) Classification to accommodate current UK medical practice. The first edition of the Wessex Classification was published in 1987.

In addition to the classification, an index to the scheme was created using a subset of the NLM’s Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scheme, along with extra subject headings to reflect concepts particular to the UK health sector.

The Wessex Classification Scheme continued to be developed under the auspices of SWRLIN (South and West Regional Library Information Network) followed by the SWIMS Network Cataloguing Group.

In 2022 a new national working group supported by NHS England, the Wessex Classification Scheme Oversight Group, was formed and continues to develop the scheme.