LIBRARIES A PRESCRIPTION FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH

1
LIBRARIES A PRESCRIPTION FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH

• Liz McGettigan
• Library and Information Services Manager
• East Renfrewshire Council

2
OUTLINE

• Background
• Partnerships
• Current position
• Vision - developing the prescription
• Training/ Health Literacy
• Summary

3
FACT

• PEOPLE WITH KNOWLEDGE AND ACCESS TO RESOURCES AND
  EXPERTISE LEAD HEALTHIER, HIGHER-QUALITY LIVES.

• Feeling connected to the community
• Having the ability to enjoy things
• Having good social relationships

• Feeling vital and full of energy
• Having positive self esteem
• Having a sense of purpose in life

4
Fast facts
BACKGROUND

• 4 Health Information points
• 32 formal book prescriptions per month
• 45 of Scots used their libraries in the last
  month and a further 15.3 in the last 6 months

• 55 used library information services last year
• 30,000,000 books were lent from 545 community
  libraries and 82 mobiles
• A market in waiting!

5
Partners
PARTNERSHIPS

• Community Health Care Partnership
• Health Connect
• Community Planning and Development Team
• Local Health Centres
• Sandyford Hub
• East Renfrewshire Information Advice Forum
• NHS E-Library
• Public Education Resource Library 
• Health Improvement Team

6
Healthy Reading
HEALTHY READING

• The Healthy Reading project is key to our work .
• We started off with Eastwood Bridges, which is an
• NHS primary mental health care team. This team
• consists of counsellors, a bibliotherapist, an
• assistant psychologist, an administrative
• assistant, and a team leader.
• The team provides services to people who are
• experiencing mild to moderate mental health
• problems such as group work and counselling for
• stress, anxiety or low mood. This was the
  catalyst
• in developing our Health points and Information
• plan for the new health centre project

7
4 Health Information Points
OUR HEALTH POINTS

• A Health Information Point has
• A growing range of health related books, DVDs and
  CDS
• a wide range of excellent and up-to-date leaflets
  on all aspects of health
• a pc dedicated to our health information portal
  and health websites
• A Health information professional - available to
  chat regarding any health enquiry and assist in
  finding answers to questions.

• Sessions on health well-being to local groups -
  e.g. substance misuse/ baby massage
• One-to-one advice for individuals.
• Access to the healthy reading and other health
  media collections
• Health Open Days Healthy food tasting/
  therapists
• Access to NHS e-library/ leaflets/ downloads/
  fact sheets.
• Access to other support groups and therapists
• Access to our
• Scales

8
Health Point in action
GETTING INTO HEALTH
9
HEALTH POINT IN ACTION
10
Health Point in action
MY HEALTH POINT
11
Health Point open days evaluations
EVALUATION IMPACT

• Chance to try dry fruit I would not have
  bought
• First time I have had a manicure
• I never had reflexology before
• Never new that a varucca has roots -Learnt how
• to treat Varucca
• Wonderful company and the variety of delicious
• food
• Talking with others about healthy food
• It would be nice if the children could attend
  to see
• healthy eating
• Talking with Live Active Exercise Consultant
• (Health Fitness)
• Reading healthy books, Healthy recipes

12
Developing the prescription
DEVELOPING OUR PRESCRIPTION

• Healthy reading partnerships, promotion ,
  marketing, impact
• Development of Health Information Points, growing
  reputation solid partnerships
• Infrastructure for the new Health Centre Project
  my health

13
The vision is simple!
THE INFRASTRUCTURE

• Alternative patient information
• pathways
• How we manage the signposting and appointments
• Appointments with sports instructors
• Prescriptions for swimming and walking club
  memberships
• Prescriptions for weight reduction/ diet
• Prescriptions for lifestyle support
• Prescriptions for confidence

• Arts - Personal development, health,confidence,
  Social skills
• my health - the practitioners key
• partner in linking patients with
• information, resources

14
Partners and appointments
East Renfrewshire Information and Advice forum

• East Renfrewshire Information ad Advice forum
• set up in 1998 to coordinate advice and
• information for our residents (65 organisations)
• Victim support
• Debt advice
• Mental Health
• ERCVS -Volunteering
• Clubs and Societies
• Coping with loss

15
Infrastructure
THE TOOLS

• E- Library
• Information appointments/consultations on
  Medicines, Drugs
• NHS Information on Symptoms
• Diagnostic packs
• Fact sheets

• Appointments with local support groups
• Literature
• Books./ DVDS/ CDs
• Signposting to national support organisations
• my health portal

16
..about creating health hubs
THE PRODUCT

• health screenings
• Reading groups
• Arts -Clubs Societies
• Alternative therapies, substance misuse

• my health
• Book therapy
• Membership of my health virtual health community
  - RSS feeds on health and well being
• Health Literacy Module online course/ and support
• Macmillan Nurses in libraries
• Drop-In health and well-being advice
• Healthy food tasting sessions

17
CURRENT POSITION
THE LIBRARY IN THE HEALTH CENTRE
Doctors surgery
Doctors surgeries
18
Patient pathways - Physical location and
presentation
AMBIENCE

• Self Help/ Doc referral Information Point -within
  health centre
• Open access but also has a confidential room
• Plasmas - Health info and messages, campaigns
• Display/ open day / healthy food space
• Childrens books etc/ playmats
• Library is the waiting room
• Internet Café - Casual Internet access -
  Accredited Health sites only
• Café healthy food and drinks only

19
Case study - General
HOW WILL IT WORK?

• Customer calls health centre and cant get an
  appointment for a
• week. Receptionist is trained to redirect or
  offer the drop in
• information/ support/ additional service. e.g.
• In the meantime you may wish to visit our
  information centre where you can speak to the
  Health Information Officer for more information,
  info about your prescription and or alternative
  therapies and support groups

20
Case study Dr.Findlay
CASE STUDY DR FINLAY

• Doctor Findlay is very, very busy and know he
  should delve more deeply
• into some of his patients problems but he has so
  many to see. On the
• other hand he wants to offer more and just
  prescribing drugs and anti-
• depressants isnt enough. When Steven presents
  himself for his
• methadone prescription and Doctor Findlay insists
  this is conditional
• on an appointment with the HIO.
• The HIO recommends the Health Librarys drugs
  misuse group meeting
• which is there to upskill and support people with
  addiction problems.
• She also arranges meetings with benefits and
  homeless support
• Staff

21
Case Study - Graeme
CASE STUDY- Graeme

• Graeme is 68 and has just lost his wife he goes
  to the health centre to
• renew a prescription for his blood pressure. The
  doctor prescribes a mild
• BP pill and an appointment with the Health
  information officer. The HI
• talks to Graeme and as a result prescribes a
  session with a bereavement
• Counsellor and signs him up for the Saturday
  walking Club.
• A range of 65 counsellors/ experts are on the
  database of support
• groups linked to the Project. They range from
  housing and financial
• support to Mental Health support groups

22
Case study - Sue
CASE STUDY - Sue

• Sue is 48 and goes to her health centre as she is
  very low and needs something for
• depression. She enters the library which is also
  the reception area and while she is
• waiting picks up a few books on stress and
  self-help the Health Info officer chats to
• Her about other titles and shows her other
  resources such as online Stress quizzes
• on the website in the Internet health cafe which
  is also the waiting room. The
• health information gets to the bottom of her
  problem (as librarians do!) and
• prescribes an appointment with a debt councillor
  and arranges the meeting for the
• interview room in the library/reception area for
  the following day.
• A range of 65 counsellors/ experts are on the
  database of support groups linked to
• the Project. They range from housing to
  bereavement to walking clubs

23
Case Study - Marianne
CASE STUDY - Marianne

• Marianne is 17 and a single parent with some
  literacy problems. She goes to the health
• centre for her baby milk. While she is there the
  doctor prescribes and appointment with the
• HIO. The HIO assesses Mariannes issues and
  downloads NHS Leaflets that she can explain
• to her. She tells her about improving here
  literacy and numeracy skills so that she can
• improve her situation. She checks the database
  and makes an appointment with a literacy
• tutor for the next Day. She checks the OPAC and
  prescribes a DVD on looking after a new
• Baby. With her permission Mariannes name is
  entered on the database for follow up.

24
(No Transcript)
25
Making health information accessible
26
Training
TRAINING

• Training for doctors and practitioners in
  signposting
• Training for staff of community organizations and
  the general public in health literacy
• Training for library staff on health reference
  interviews, e-library etc on community health
  concerns, health literacy issues and locating
  health information resources
• Health Literacy module for the public delivered
  in the new health Centre

27
CONCLUSION
As libraries have evolved to meet new challenges
and embraced technology so have the skills and
expertise of our staff. We have built on our core
competencies and on our experiences. Now, I
believe, we have developed into a very valuable
new breed equipped to bring the profession to the
forefront of the knowledge economy, in which
information is the new currency. As a profession
we have a reputation as effective communicators
and facilitators, We are good at liaison and team
working. We have excellent customer-facing
skills. We are approachable, flexible and keen to
help. Despite widespread use of the internet and
its supposed user-friendliness, people need
significantly more guidance in using electronic
resources than they did in using a library of
print materials. The skills of a librarian are
more Pressures on health sector and their
openness to innovation gives us the ideal
opportunity to deliver creative, effective
information and support options.