MLA Museums, Libraries and Archives Council

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MLAMuseums, Libraries and Archives Council
Pathways to Health Cambridge 24 November
2005 Well informed the policy
background Marcus Weisen, Health and Disability
Adviser
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Who brings us together

• A customer is the most important visitor to our
  premises.
• He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on
  him.
• He is not an interruption on our work. He is the
  purpose of it.
• He is not an outsider on our business. He is
  part of it.
• We are not doing him a favour by serving him.
• He is doing us a favour by giving us opportunity
  to do so.
• Mahatma Gandhi

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Connective attitudes

• Partnerships between the health, social care and
  museums, libraries and archives sector do already
  happen especially in the libraries sector
• There is sizeable scope for more partnership work
  for the benefit of users, clients, patients
• To develop the full potential of these
  partnerships and reap all its benefits, I need to
  become a learner yet again no matter which
  sector I work for
• There is nothing better than being a learner to
  keep young and healthy

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Exploring connectivity in language

• The Ashton, Leigh and Wigan Mental Health
  Promotion
• Strategy (2003) describes what happens to
  individuals
• with good mental health. They
• develop emotionally, creatively, intellectually
  and spiritually
• initiate, develop and sustain mutually satisfying
  personal relationships
• face problems, resolve them and learn from them
• are confident and assertive
• are aware of others and empathise with them
• use and enjoy solitude
• play and have fun
• laugh, both at themselves and at the world

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Exploring connectivity in language

• MLAs definition of learning, adapted from the
• Campaign for Learning, is
• Learning is a process of active engagement with
• experience, It is what people do when they want
• to make sense of the world. It may involve the
• development or deepening of skills, knowledge,
• understanding, awareness, values, ideas and
• feelings, or an increase in the capacity to
  reflect.
• Effective learning leads to change, development
• and the desire to learn more.
• We want to get to know each others language/s,
• their commonalities and specificities.

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Policy drivers for cross-cutting partnerships

• There are more than first meets the eye
• DCMS strategic priority increase and broaden the
  impact of culture and sport, to enrich individual
  lives, strengthen communities and improve the
  places where people live ..
• Disability Discrimination Act (1995). DDA
  definition of disability includes many people
  with lasting health conditions
• Every Child Matters. Joined up working between
  education and health sectors. www.everychildmatter
  s.gov.uk
• Local Shared Priorities. Local Area Agreements

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Policy drivers for cross-cutting partnerships

• Policies and frameworks for older people, e.g.
  Standard 8 of the DH National Service Framework
  for Older People
• A range of social care policies here is where I
  need to learn
• Mental Health and Social Exclusion action plan
• http//www.socialexclusionunit.gov.uk/downloaddoc
  .asp?id134
• A range of social policies
• DH Choosing Health policies and action plan
  www.dh.gov.uk/publications

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Focus on Choosing Health

• Stimulus for health improvement is to be found
  in
• peoples own ambition to live healthier lives
• Three fundamental principles
• informed choice for all
• personalisation of support to make healthy
  choices easier
• working in partnership to make health everyones
  business
• Emphasis on prevention
• 6,000 Health Trainer posts to be created by end
  2007/8 will provide guidance on public health
  issues
• Choosing Health also emphasises the relationship
  between health, learning and work, leisure and
  recreation, crime and community cohesion.

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Response of the MLA family

• New Directions in Social Policy developing the
  evidence base for museums, libraries and
  archives, MLA, 2005 www.mla.gov.uk/documents/ndsp_
  developing_evidence.doc
• New Directions in Social Policy health policy
  for museums, libraries and archives, MLA, 2005
  www.mla.gov.uk/documents/ndsp health.doc
• Develop social and health impact indicators for
  informal learning in museums, libraries and
  archives, building on the sectors widely
  respected Generic Learning Outcomes, winter
  2005/6 www.inspiring.learningforall.gov.uk
• Response to Strategic Review of the Department of
  Healths role in arts and health, 17 November
  2005
• Health is a strategic priority for the MLA
  Partnership, consisting of MLA and 9 regional
  MLACs, from 2006/7
• Development of strategy for MLA sector health
  engagement, 2006/7

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Response of the MLA family

• Regional audit of health and social care
  information provision a partnership between
  NEMLAC, Durham Teesside Health Libraries
  Alliance, Skills for Care and the Strategic
  Health Authorities for East Northumberland and
  Tyne Wear, autumn/winter 2005
• EEMLAC basic level mapping of sector health
  engagement
• Several regional strategic partnerships, e.g.
  SEMLAC and Sport England South East jointly fund
  post for Everyday Sport Campaign, working with
  public libraries
• The Regional Libraries Advisory Group and MLA
  have held an initial discussion towards the
  development of a national public library offer
  for health, which could build on the Peoples
  Network www.peoplesnetwork.gov.uk
• There is considerable enthusiasm. The foundations
  are being
• laid for a strategic approach.

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The health role of libraries building the
evidence base

• Gateshead Library findings from the Laser
  Foundation Library
• Impact Project, July 2005,
• www.bl.uk/about/cooperation/pdf/laserfinal.pdf)
• Users said
• Gives information that you sometimes dont get,
  or miss when the doctors talking to you.
• Helps me to become informed about the decisions
  I make about my health.
• Quantitative data
• 94 of respondents stated tat the information
  gives me a better understanding of the
  condition/subject.
• 35 of the respondents went even further and said
  that the information has a positive impact on
  health.
• 57 of the respondents said that the library
  service contributes positively to their health or
  wellbeing.

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The health role of museums building the evidence
base

• A recent social impact study by Tyne Wear
  Museums and
• Bristol Museums, undertaken by AEA Consulting
  (August 2005,
• unpublished) showed that
• 88 of participants stated that taking part in
  the museums events increased their confidence
• 65 of participants stated that taking part they
  developed new skills
• 65 of participants stated that taking part
  positively impacted on their health and wellbeing
• The programmes ranged from Geordie Songs to
  Making History a
• project which invited participants to build a
  collection that represented the
• diversity of the community. With the exception of
  one project which focused
• on nutrition and healthy eating (representing 4,
  or 10.2 of all
• participants), none of the programmes surveyed
  had a contribution to health
• improvement as a specific objective.

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Conclusion

• Health engagement is increasingly seen to be
  integral to mlas
• All will benefit from partnership developments
  between health, social care and MLA sectors
• We want to develop an empowering strategic
  approach based on partnership, evidence and the
  lessons of good practice
• We want to foster a culture of cross- cutting
  partnerships
• Todays a great opportunity!

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Poetic conclusion

• The body is the shore on the ocean of being.
• Sufi mystic
• The body is precious, health is precious, life is
  
• precious.
• May todays creative thoughts, informal
• chats, good practice examples, pragmatic thinking
  
• and strategic visions all serve the health of the
  body
• and its potential.