Quality and impact in 2020: The value of Knowledge and Library Services

Reflection on the Quality and Impact work stream in 2020.

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Knowledge and Library Services take the “heavy lifting” out of getting evidence into practice and give the “gift of time” to healthcare professionals.
Key message 2, The Value Proposition

As we reflect on 2020 within the Quality and Impact Group, the first thought might be that it was the year when not everything quite went to plan. However, a tremendous amount has been achieved and we have really been able to demonstrate the impact and value of our NHS Knowledge and Library Services (KLS) and specialists. In this blog we would like to highlight some of successes over the last 12 months and ongoing developments. We would also like to say a big thank you to all those involved in workstream activities and for the knowledge and library staff continuing to identify and share stories of their impact and innovation.

On 2 November we launched our "Value Proposition; the gift of time" at an All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) meeting. The report explains how knowledge and library specialists in the NHS give the gift of time to busy healthcare professionals, taking the heavy lifting out of getting evidence into practice.

Jacque Mallender of Economics by Design, who led the research, will be hosting 2 webinars to present the report in the New Year. This is an opportunity to listen to the presentation provided at the APPG and to ask Jacque any questions.

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The core value proposition is simple: The Service provides healthcare professional staff with time-saving accelerated access to better quality evidence. This enables the NHS to meet its statutory obligations to utilize evidence from research. It enables healthcare professionals to use their time more effectively to drive improvements against the NHS quadruple aims.
Key message 5, The Value Proposition

The full value proposition report can be found on the Health Education England website.

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Informed decisions improve outcomes, quality of care, patient experience, resource utilisation and operational efficiencies. This is best achieved when healthcare professionals are supported by the right knowledge services, with the right resources and with the right teams and roles.
Key message 3, The Value Proposition

We have continued throughout the year to receive your impact case studies, and over 100 of these have been approved. Working with our HEE communications team we have started to promote these more widely to stakeholders through Twitter, LinkedIn and the HEE Innovation and Transformation. We are also now showcasing an impact case study on a monthly basis. Look out for the new format for the impact vignettes.

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Case studies of high performing NHS Library and Knowledge Services demonstrate 2 key enablers for benefits realization: that the service has a clear strategic leadership role in knowledge management and mobilisation and is integrated with service delivery.
Key message 6, The Value Proposition

Although we had to change the submission dates, in the light of your work pressures during the pandemic, we are grateful to you all for completing the workforce and activity statistics this year. We are working to collate and analyse these and will be producing an infographics report of the key headlines. We are also working with our Business Intelligence team within HEE to develop a benchmarking dashboard based on a few key metrics. Again we plan to share this with you once completed.

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When supported by high-performing Library and Knowledge Services, NHS provider organisations are able to demonstrate how they are meeting their statutory obligations to use evidence to inform practice and hence improve their Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating.
Key message 4, The Value Proposition

As we move into 2021, we anticipate that the baseline self-assessment of the new Quality and Improvement Outcomes Framework will go ahead. We are currently reviewing the timelines and dates for submission whilst also looking at the longer-term process.

Working with Amanda Stearn, we are in the process of updating "High Profile Health Libraries", our toolkit to support advocacy. The newly updated toolkit will provide support materials, and hints and tips, to assist in positioning your service as business critical to your organisation(s).

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Assuming findings from the international literature are applicable to the NHS, the service is potentially already generating an overall economic benefit of £132m per annum for the NHS, delivering a net economic benefit of £77m per annum. This could increase to £106m per annum were target staff ratios for librarians achieved.
Key message 9, The Value Proposition

One of the outcomes for the quality and impact workstream is to promote knowledge and library service innovation and good practice. This year we were really pleased to see the outcome of our partnership working with CILIPs Library and Information Research Group (LIRG) to publish a special of the Library Information Research (LIR) Journal on good practice in NHS-funded library and knowledge services. Please do have a look at the good practice research and case study articles.

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There is growing and consistent body of robust international evidence to support this Value Proposition.
Key message 7, The Value Proposition

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Recently published research from the NHS suggests similar benefits may exist for the NHS.
Key message 8, The Value Proposition

We have also been reflecting on the achievements of the Quality and Impact workstream over the last 5 years. Our case study article on the outcomes of the workstream "Quality Outcomes in NHS Library and Knowledge Services" has just been accepted by the Performance, Measurement and Metrics Journal. Please do look out for this in the new year.

We would like to end by wishing you all a Merry Christmas.

Ms Clare Edwards

Mr Dominic Gilroy

Page last reviewed: 19 May 2023
Next review due: 19 May 2024