Do UK Health Libraries help the National Health Service meet UN Sustainable Development Goals?

Abstract

This poster explores how the National Health Service's (NHS's) goals are aligned with the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and how library services can help staff achieve them; in particular SDG3 (Good Health and Well-Being) and SDG 4 (Quality Education). The Hillingdon Hospitals Library Service's one-to-one approach to facilitate this is described, including the impact it has had on its users, challenges faced, and its future plans.

As health librarians we need to continuously provide the best available evidence for decision making in the health sector, so colleagues make correct and effective decisions that impact human lives - patients, carers and families. (2012 Health and Social Care Act). Understanding the pressures and the limited time that health service providers have, we proactively introduce and promote the vast collection of valuable resources NHS has made available to its staff, by using various marketing tools. A one-to-one approach has helped us encourage/motivate staff at our Trust to make use of these resources to do their research work for knowledge development, service improvements/development and innovations. We believe librarians in all healthcare organisations, by supporting health research in this way, can help staff meet their professional goals while their work place meets organisational goals and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.