Self- Health: public libraries and the NHS, a partnership for patients in

Stockport Presented by Wendy Griffiths, Development

Manager , Libraries, Advice & Information

Why public libraries?

• Neutral community resource for wellbeing

• Popularity of Health type material

• National visits to a public library 2011-12 over 322,000,000

• National visits to Library websites = 115,000,000

Clichés

• “Love it when a plan comes together”

• “Importance of the right people in the room at the right time”

• “from small acorns……..”

• The truth is there was no plan, in the beginning it was a just 2 interested people; the NHS lead on mental health in the PCT and Me but both with support and autonomy from our managers

BOP a panacea or placebo?

• Neil Frude is a consultant clinical psychologist working in Cardiff. He is an External Professor at the University of Glamorgan and the Director of Clinical Research on the South Wales Clinical Psychology Doctoral Training Programme.

• Following an extensive review of the evidence available at the time (2004), the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommended bibliotherapy as an appropriate strategy for treating depression, anxiety and a number of other mental health problems

The case for books

• No waiting list

• No side effects

• No stigma

• Accredited titles from health professionals

• Evidence that it’s effective

• Involves the patient in taking an active part in their recovery

• COST!

What we did

• Consulted with local GP’s & other health professionals

• Set up visible collections of materials supporting mental wellbeing

• Trained all staff in basic mental health awareness

• Promoted the ‘accredited’ list of titles

• Monitored usage and encouraged feedback

2006 Self health @your Library is born

What we said

“Public libraries are a well established local resource for information, supporting learning and providing for leisure and recreation. All key elements for mental wellbeing. Self help materials have always been an important and popular item and by promoting the service via health professionals, we also hope to reach non traditional library users who may be pleasantly surprised by whats on offer, from free internet to Tai Chi or just a cup of tea.”

What happened

• Loans of this material increased by 111% in the first year

• To date over 90,000 items have been borrowed from the collections

• Positive feedback from health professionals

• Notable failure to elicit ‘direct’ feedback from clients

• Two health innovation grants

• Headroom pilot funding

What happened next

• Expansion of the collection into material for children & young people and their carers

• Information on prescription

• NHS Choices; library staff trained by Foundation Trust

• Amalgamation of all health related material into one holistic Self health collection

• Partnership working to provide supported computerised CBT

• Introduction of ‘read yourself well’ therapeutic reading groups

• Facilitator training to deliver reading groups and reminiscence

• Reminiscence packs for loan

• Multiagency group to organise Wellbeing Week around World Mental Health Day

• Venues for 1to1 CBT

• Partnership with Foundation Trust Hospital Library

• Universal library health offer launches May 2013

Self health isotopes –

more than one solution

to a collaborative

project

Mary Hill – Stockport NHS

Foundation Trust

Paula Elliott – Central Manchester

University Hospitals NHS Foundation

Trust

What’s next?

World domination?

In the public Libraries world anyway

The health agenda is high on national priorities

3 areas have been selected to form part of our Universal Offer

1. Reading

2. Information

3. Health

http://www.bookmarkyourlibrary.org.uk/

Ask not what your public library can do for you but what you can do for your public library?

TELL PEOPLE ABOUT IT!!!!!

Everyone wins but especially the patient aka customer aka client aka A PERSON

•Any Questions?

Contact details:

wendy.griffiths@stockport.gov.uk