Transcript Publishing in ‘Health Information and Libraries Journal

Partnership work in the North East: provision
of health and social care information to the
public
Dr Graham Walton, Janet Harrison and
Suzanne Lockyer, Loughborough University
Seminar on ‘Building partnerships for
the future: health and public libraries
working together’ : Queens' Medical
Centre, 16th June 2006
Background
• Funded by MLA North East (Formerly North East
Museums Library and Archives Council (NEMLAC))
• Took place in 2005
• Focussed on public libraries, primary care trusts
and social care departments
• Purpose to collect good examples of health and
social information provision
• Produce model for co-ordinated and sustainable
provision
Strategic review: 1: politics and funding
• Range of policies from DoH, MLA, DCMS produced
environment where public will have increased
access to health and social care information
• Policy for all local government services to be online
by 2005 impacts on public libraries and social
services providers of information
• Some funding has been made available specifically
for joint health and social care information projects
Strategic review: 2: public perception
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Traditional vs. unconventional
Access: public vs. professionals
Urban vs. rural/ affluent vs. poor
Digital divide (information/ information technology
literacy)
• Quality
Strategic review: 3: providers
• Collaboration (medical libraries + other, public
libraries + others, local community + others, NHS +
others, academic institutions + others)
• Role of the voluntary sector
• Changing role of public libraries
Strategic review: 4: delivery
• Technology (digital interactive TV, kiosks, Internet)
• Methods of delivery (libraries, Helplines, Community
centres/ drop in centres, multi-purpose customer
service centres
Methodology
• Questionnaires
• Focus group
• Interviews
Results: summaries from responses on key
issues
• Current and changing roles: opportunities and
barriers
• Targeting health and social care information
• Training
• Evaluating services
• Collaboration
Results: examples of best practice
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Electronic access
Hitting the right targets
Personal touch
Maximising professional input
Didn’t we do well?
Conclusions: Barriers
• Various barriers exist:
– IPs lack awareness of available resources both
within and between organisations
– Duplication of effort and information overload by
IPs
– Need to raise public awareness of where to go
for information
– Current lack of training in people skills and
dealing with queries outside profession
Conclusions: Strengths
• Strengths of partnership working
– Maximise resources
• Co-ordinated provision of information
• Use of specific staff skills
– Training provision between sectors
• Dealing with queries outside profession
Recommendations (to move to a more
coherent model where good practice is
spread across Region)
• Develop the evidence
• Provide appropriate direction and linkage for
information professionals
• Proactive project dissemination
• Resource allocation
• Take ownership and responsibility for the
recommendations