Review of NHS Library and Knowledge Services in West Sussex
Facilitators Guide for Focus Groups
Facilitator: Caroline Doherty
Review Team: David Copsey
Louise Goswami
Judy Lehmann
Focus Group agenda & outline structure (90 mins)
Welcome & intro to focus group session-Why do this
-How the session will run – workbooks, note takers etc / 10 mins
Topic 1 - LKS and clinical practice
Topic 2 - LKS and patient safety & clinical governance
-Taking topics 1 & 2 together and spend 5 mins – noting your immediate response; thoughts at bottom of page not exclusive – but may be relevant
-When you have made your list – go back and number your 3 priorities
-Whole groups - focus on each topic in turn – share the first choice priorities –clarify / 20 mins
Topic 3 - LKS and research, development & innovation
Topic 4 - LKS and education & training
-As above / 20 mins
Topic 5 - LKS and commissioning & public health
-As above / 20 mins
OR / OR
Topic 6 - LKS and management, strategic planning & corporate governance
-As above / 20 mins
Anything else, summary & finish / 10 – 20 mins
Topic 5 Sessions : 7 May – The Causeway & 12 May – Bognor
Topic 6 Sessions: 7 May – Worthing & 12 May – St Richards
Topic 1 – LKS and Clinical Practice – additional notes
The role of NHS library & knowledgeservices is to provide high quality, evidence-based information to benefit the care and safety of patients.
Jane – new BSc starting in Paramedics at Univ Brighton
Jane – access to e-resources, BSUH knowledgeshare, coming to you, quick, raises profile of evidence and LKS. Most clinical areas have intranets, some interests are universal, some specific, help with team building. Bringing into wards
Jane – teaching and learning to make use of e-resources
Nikki – difficult to assess sources, complex, takes time, LKS help
Maggie – make more alive, can be seen as dusty, clinical librarians within wards – knowing latest evidence, own RSS links, proactivity, move forward, doctors have little time, needs to be at fingertips. At point of need, transparency for patients
Sandra – bulletins of new publications
Nikki – medical alerts, looking at historical data – LKS keep archive
Maggie – sharing knowledge when found, capturing for others. LKS providing links, loss of knowledge when people leave, immediacy important
Topic 2 - LKS & Patient Safety and Clinical Governance – additional notes
NHS Organisations are constantly having to provide evidence of their safety and governance arrangements to bodies such as the Care Quality Commission (CQC), NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA), GMC, Deanery etc. Wrong decisions are often highlighted in the media and can lead to heavy financial penalties.
Nabil – reading things in context is vital, picking up differences and similarities. Understanding of context in other Trusts. LKS role in holding local context and knowledge
Maggie – capturing culture, can’t be forgotten
All – service meets needs of local population
Jane – difficult to find local information, create local reserve of published papers. LKS role in doc creation
Maggie – LKS understanding of end users. Training paths of nurses and doctors, proactive LKS role in Deanery Quality Management. Also specialty specific
Jane – maintain LKS links with Univ
Nabil – different terms for saying same thing, makes word searching difficult
Maggie – workforce moves round esp junior docs
Topic 3 – LKS & Research, Development and Innovation – additional notes
Research, development and innovation is vital to improving patient care.
Jane – understanding of funding bids
Nikki – toolkits for people to use, standard formats
Nikki – use google to find out
Nabil – LKS help with identifying local research networks
Jane – LKS as one stop shop
Maggie – LKS links with R&D, audit, build knowledge base
Nabil – IP issues, staff don’t know who to ask
Sandra – training in critical appraisal; help with identifying good websites, passwords
Topic 4 - LKS &Education and Training – additional notes
All NHS organisations need to continuously developtheir staff. Library & Knowledge Services should have a key role in this development.
Lesley – LKS advertise themselves, offer lots but people don’t know. Refreshers and new courses
Nikki – not everyone knows there is a library
Maggie – LKS location, not in PGMC
Nikki – 24/7, e-learning. Library is study space, accessible
Maggie – balance between quietness and dustiness
Maggie – access to training in library; library as jigsaw builder, knowledge hub, signposting
Jane – traditionally for prof groups, called library. Now info sharing, knowledge. New staff don’t have tradition of using libs
Maggie – physical store, but also centre of things. E-browsing, library has wasted space?, doc supply from other sources, not always having local print e.g. BMJ
Maggie – masterclass packs, duplication, better communication, Deanery could communicate better with Trusts, LKS are key players in contract review. Deanery doesn’t understand end users, LKS can help with understanding. LKS raise profile, e.g. specialty based
Topic 5 –LKS & Commissioning and Public Health – additional notes
Commissioning and public health have become key priorities within the NHS. There is also a shift towards services being more community-based.
Maggie – big topic for Friday pm!
Nikki – Alison Hempstead (teleconference, follow up by Review Team)
Jane – workforce planning needs information to inform decisions. Where does strategic direction come from? Access to local picture – how, where? Direction for local cancer service)
Maggie – need to keep local focus within strategic picture
All – signpopsting, advertising data held by LKS
Lesley – LKS – health needs assessment; finding online literature, grey lit difficult
Maggie – capturing info from moving workforce based on local stuff
Nabil – care with validity of data. Can’t base needs assessment solely on grey lit
Jane – new role for LKS staff, proactive, funding , research. Buy in LKS staff for half day
Maggie- views on libns, away from centre, characters need to change, be lively, new skills, quals. Transition to library and knowledge service; terminology important
Jane – Worthing lib subterranean; Chichester wander for ever; both difficult to find, another world; not everyone will find it
Maggie – lib at Worthing poorly signposted; physical building important, jubilee lib in Brighton interesting
Jane – no real sense of how libs work with PALS
Maggie – libs housed with patient leaflets
Jane – information prescriptions for patients
Final points: other comments:
Jane – personal touch valued, keep, help in crisis
Sandra – prompt service
Use would grow by -
Sandra – knowing whats available
Jane – free service, don’t charge fines, appreciated
Maggie – not end user, sees service 3rd hand, work with MEMs and end users, change history, partnership, through QM process
Nikki – attach links to websites
Maggie – libs are unsung heroes
Nabil – profile building, must reach out to community services, not just for doctors in hospitals
Maggie – depts. Invest in LKS, business case, would help prioritisation
Topic 6 – LKS & Management, Strategic Planning and Corporate Governance
The NHS is a huge employer, with a highly trained workforce, a requirement to keep abreast and tointroduce changes to practice.The retention of staff is very important but there is a high turnover of staff in the NHS. It has been recommended (Hill Report) that Library & Knowledge Services can play a key role in management, strategic planning and corporate governance.
Review of Library and Knowledge ServicesApril 2010