COVID-19: Much of what is happening at the moment is governed by the Trust’s response to COVID-19. Within Medical Education four priority services were defined at the start of the crisis: 1) supporting medical deployment across the Trust, 2) delivering clinical skills training to support the Trust response to COVID-19, 3) supporting our trainees, 4) delivering a library service in some form. “Some form” has meant focussing our physical presence at Leeds General Infirmary; staff coming into LGI on a rota to maintain safe minimal staffing, and working from home the rest of the time; promoting electronic access; continuing to deliver our literature search and enquiry services; developing a COVID-19 page on the shared Leeds Libraries website. It has also meant learning how to work together using MS Teams (nuff said!). The physical space at the LGI has become a sought-after hot-desk base for various staff across the site who need a safe place to work. We have welcomed a cohort of ward-based pharmacists who have now taken up residence alongside staff who are still using the space for its original purpose.
Staffing: At the YOHHLNet awards back in December, we were delighted when Jenny Emmel, Corporate Support Librarian, received the Innovation Award for her approach to engaging with teams across the Trust. The citation for the award may be read at https://www.lksnorth.nhs.uk/yohhlnet/yohhlnet-awards/2019-yohhlnet-awards/.
During the year there some changes of working hours within the team, and as a result we were able to welcome Beth Tapster, who joined us as Corporate Support Librarian working as job share partner with Jenny. Beth joined us just as the COVID-19 response kicked in so has had a somewhat unorthodox introduction to life at LTHT.
Careers Collection: During the year the service was successful in obtaining funding to develop a careers collection at our two major sites (LGI and St James’s). The idea for this came from a conversation with the Lead Nurse for Education whose son had just used his school’s careers service to get ideas for possible directions. She wondered if it was possible to do something similar for Trust staff, and so the collection is designed provide information to support staff who might want to know what avenues are open to them as their next step, might want to change their career pathway, might want help with applications, writing CVs, preparing for interviews. The collection includes books and leaflets, and is open to any member of staff who wants to use it.
User Engagement: In the run up to Christmas 2019, in partnership with colleagues from the other NHS Trusts in the city, the team conducted a survey under the banner “Give the gift of feedback”. Widely promoted across all three Trusts and aimed at users and non-users alike, the scale of the response means that at time of writing, analysis of most of the survey has not yet been completed (mea culpa!).
User Training: This year the service developed First Steps, an introductory programme for staff wishing to develop research skills. This was developed in discussion with the Head of Nursing for Research and the Lead Nurse for the Research Academy, and is a short programme aimed at staff who want to explore the idea of “research”. They may just be exploring ideas, or may have a specific end in view such as applying for the NIHR Internship. First Steps is delivered by the library service but is part of the Research Academy programme and run within their space. The programme consists of two workshops, one on turning a vague idea into a focussed research question and planning a search strategy, the second on using the results of their search as part of a project, whether this is writing an internship application, a business case within the Trust or something else. In the eight weeks between the two workshops, participants have one or more one-to-one sessions to develop and run their search. First Steps is designed for a maximum of six participants, and the pilot programme ran from November 2019 to January 2020. Applications had been received for a second cohort to start in April 2020, but this has been deferred to the autumn as a result of COVID-19.
The service continues to provide the formal library support for the Certificate in Adult Critical Care Nursing run by the Trust as a delivery partner for Manchester Metropolitan University. There were intakes for this in September 2019 and January 2020, but again both cohorts have been suspended due to COVID-19.
Publications: Bassetti, C.L.A., Randerath, W., Vignatelli, L., Ferini‐Strambi, L., Brill, A.‐K., Bonsignore, M.R., Grote, L., Jennum, P., Leys, D., Minnerup, J., Nobili, L., Tonia, T., Morgan, R., Kerry, J., Riha, R., McNicholas, W.T. and Papavasileiou, V. (2020), EAN/ERS/ESO/ESRS statement on the impact of sleep disorders on risk and outcome of stroke. European Journal of Neurology. doi:10.1111/ene.14201
Paul Twiddy
Library & Information Service Manager
