Open Forums – Consultations with NHS Staff in Fife

Dorothy Woolley, Cathy Smith

Abstract

As part of the development of the library strategy in NHS Fife a series of six open forums were held to consult staff and bring them into the planning cycle. The aims and the outcomes of the forums are discussed. The forums proved a useful information-gathering tool with key themes and ideas for improvement emerging.

Introduction

NHS Fife Library Services are developing their library strategy with the aim of meeting the needs of all healthcare staff working in or with NHS Fife. It was recognised that consultation with both library users and managers needed to take place as part of this process. This is in line with the current ethos of service development within the health service, for example in Local voices 1, Patient focus and public involvement 2, and Sustainable patient focus and public involvement 3. The difference in this case is that it is health service staff that are being brought into the planning cycle rather than patients or the public.
Aim and Objectives

To find out what the staff in NHS Fife need from library services, a small research project was carried out. A series of six hour-long open forums were held at venues across Fife. These took the form of focus groups, run during the evening as well as in daytime hours to allow as many staff as possible to attend. The aim of these sessions was to establish a two-way process of communication. More specifically the objectives were to;

• collate the views of healthcare staff on library service provision
• identify the gaps in the current service provision
• achieve an understanding of what staff need from the NHS Fife library service
• build on the views of staff in developing a service fit for purpose
• allow opportunity for discussion and debate about library service issues.

To allow maximum time for brainstorming, two key questions were asked at each forum. These were;

• What do you need from library services to do your job?
• Where are the current gaps in the library service?

Outcomes

26 staff attended these sessions. The majority of participants were employed in primary care (60%) with 20% working in acute care, 16% at the Health Board, and 4% in the local health care co-operatives. Although primary care participation was high, few people working in the community attended. Comments were received from staff unable to attend the forums but who wished to make a specific point. Key groups who were poorly represented at the forums were asked to submit comments, and an additional eight responses were received in this way, and were added to those gathered in the forums.

Six key themes emerged from the forums. These were;

• marketing and promotion
• physical siting of libraries
• provision of services, specifically the provision of patient information
• working with others
• technical issues
• cultural change

Many staff highlighted the need for the libraries to market their services more effectively. In particular, it was identified that efforts need to be made to target the marketing of the library service at specific groups to overturn the misconception that such services are solely for doctors. The perceived inequalities in service provision were also raised.

Several contributors felt it important that library services should be provided at or close to the point of need. With six libraries currently operating within NHS Fife, this suggests there is little scope to close or merge existing library services at present. Most contributors valued remote access to library services, particularly via home computers.

In terms of provision of specific services, the following resources were highly valued by staff;

• Space and resources for study
• Up to date and relevant stock
• Current awareness and SDI services
• Union catalogue
• Training in information skills
• Reference material for local resources
• PC access via library service
• Professional support/advice/availability
• Support for library users to access library facilities
• Literature searching/mediated searching
• Good customer service
• Quick service
• Free (£) access to services
• Provision of articles and inter-library loans
• Access to a library service
• On-line access to full text resources
• User friendly service

The above areas identified as requiring improvement included;

• space and resources for study
• up to date and relevant stock
• shared resources
• support for and provision of training
• professional availability including outside core hours
• the physical layout and classification of stock
• the provision of resources for non-clinical staff/nurses/allied health professionals.

With regard to the provision of patient information, contributors to the open forums disagreed about access to library services for patients and the public. At one forum, libraries were requested to allow patient and public access. At the others, it was suggested that libraries should support clinicians to provide patient and public information instead, perhaps through the development of a Clinical Librarian post. It was also suggested that libraries should work with other organisations (public libraries, Health Scotland and NHS 24) to ensure the availability of quality patient and public information.

Many respondents highlighted the benefits of joint working, both within the NHS and with partner organisations and libraries. Key links were identified as;

• the training and development departments within NHS Fife
• University of Dundee
• other Universities (notably Edinburgh/Queen Margaret College)
• other organisations outside NHS Fife (Council/ NHS libraries across Scotland).

Respondents also wanted to see links between library resources and those books and journals held within departments.

Improved IT access was a key concern for almost all contributors, although there was recognition that libraries have little influence over this. Security of library stock was highlighted, with systems at some libraries considered too lenient and at some too strict. Disabled access was also highlighted at one forum, particularly support for dyslexic users.

Protected staff time to access library services was a recognised issue at three of the forums, with attendees recognising the need for a culture change to reduce the need for staff to access resources in their own time.
Lessons Learned

A higher turnout for the sessions may have been achieved by changing the timing of some of the events. It transpired that early afternoon sessions were held which clashed with the change of nursing shifts in the hospitals, so it pays to check in advance.

The lower level of involvement by community care staff may have been because the events were held at hospital venues. Sessions could have been arranged at local health centres but given that there are around 80 health centres, clinics and GP surgeries, this would have been extremely challenging. A more realistic alternative would perhaps have been to tap into the ‘protected time’ sessions that some of the local health care co-operatives in Fife have for staff development, although our timescale did not allow us to do this for this exercise.

As with any research, those who attended the sessions tended to be those with an interest in the development of the service. However, the open forums were a useful way of collecting information and engaging with users of the library service.

Conclusion

The forums provided a useful insight into the needs and wants of staff in NHS Fife with regard to library services. Current services were highly valued by the staff who use them. Key areas for improvement identified were awareness raising; accessibility, sharing of resources, joint working and improved IT.

The open forum events were a useful way to engage and converse with library service users, although consultation with users should be an ongoing process rather than a one-off exercise. Ongoing involvement needs to be built in to the strategy and planning process for library services in NHS Fife, and staff views should be considered at all stages of library service development. This can be done through needs-assessment, establishment of priorities, development of service specifications and monitoring of services.

References

1. NHS Management Executive Local voices: the views of local people in purchasing for health. London: Department of Health, 1992
2. Scottish Executive Health Department Patient focus and public involvement 2001 [Online] Retrieved 14 April 2004 from http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library3/health/pfpi.pdf
3. Health Quality and Planning Division, Scottish Executive Health Department & Scottish Council Foundation Sustainable patient foucs and public involvement Edinburgh: Scottish Executive Health Department, 2003 [Online] Retrieved 14 April 2004 from http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/sustainablepfpi/sustainablepfpi.pdf

Dorothy Woolley,
Librarian,
Victoria, Stratheden & Lynebank Hospitals
dorothy.woolley@nhs.net

Cathy Smith,
Information Officer,
Fife NHS Board
catherinesmith@nhs.net