Health Information Week (HIW) is an annual national, multi-sector campaign promoting high-quality information for patients and the public. High quality health information can have a huge impact on people’s ability to stay healthy and manage illnesses effectively, giving them a better quality of life. As in previous years the team at George Eliot and South Warwickshire Knowledge and Library Service used online activities and displays to promote Health Information Week (HIW2022) themes to colleagues and service users. Without Covid-19 restrictions however we were also able to attend events in the community. Take a look at what we did!
GEH SWFT Knowledge and Library Services Health Information Week Leaflets
Using CANVA and HIW resources we produced 2 in-house A5 leaflets to display in our libraries, education centres and at events:
- Where to find reliable, up-to-date, quality information about your health condition, symptoms or local services (which listed 3 key national websites)
- Health Information in languages other than English (to reflect the Translated Health Information theme
Display of Your Health Collection books and posters in the Library at George Eliot Hospital
Outreach events
Information Stands at local Warwickshire Libraries:
Nuneaton Public Library, Tuesday 5th July, 11-2pm
Leamington Public Library, Friday 8th July, 11-2pm
We took along a HIW display, patient information leaflets from charities relevant to the themes of HIW2022, PALs leaflets, MacMillan Cancer Information Service leaflets and our in-house produced HIW leaflets. Our NHS library stands joined other local agencies, charities and organisations.
Footfall at the public libraries was disappointing on both days, however we had conversations with members of the public at Nuneaton Library who took British Heart Foundation, our KLS HIW and PALs leaflets. Other members of the public took the Health Information in languages other than English leaflet. There was interest in this leaflet from the other organisations attending with one organisation requesting a copy of the leaflet file.
At Leamington Library we spoke to 5 members of the public about HIW, gave out fruit (kindly donated by Tesco, Stratford-upon-Avon), our KLS HIW leaflet, and Kidney Care UK and Macmillan Cancer Information leaflets. We spoke to 6 Leamington library colleagues and chatted to other stallholders from the Equality and Inclusion Partnership and Warwickshire Vision Support.
Both events were useful from a networking perspective. We were pleased to be able to support Warwickshire Libraries with whom we’ve developed a good working relationship over the last 5 years. We met the Head of Libraries and Face to Face front-line services for Warwickshire County Council, Area Librarians, and a Digital Inclusion Officer and were able to discuss setting up a new reading group for South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust.
It was also useful to learn about other local agencies and services that we can signpost to our library users and colleagues. They may also be useful for our Twitter #HealthChats with Warwickshire Libraries. We were offered leaflets from RISE, a collection of NHS-led services providing emotional wellbeing and mental health services for children and young people in Coventry and Warwickshire.
Joint Information Stand at Stratford Healthcare Centre with SWFT Macmillan Cancer Information Service, Thursday 8th July 10am to 1pm:
On another quiet morning we spoke to members of the public about HIW and who took our KLS HIW leaflets, Macmillan Patient Information Leaflets and fruit (donated by the nearby Tesco, Stratford-upon-Avon store). We also spoke to radiographers, hospital chaplains and volunteers. We passed on details of the Uplifting collection to radiographers and chaplains who didn’t know about the library postal service. We left posters of the Uplifting and Your Health Collection resources with the Hospital Manager and Wellbeing Lead to display for colleagues.
It was useful to join-up with the Macmillan Cancer Information Service as being based at the hospital were recognised by colleagues who stopped to chat. It was helpful to learn about each other’s services. Again, it was disappointing that the footfall wasn’t greater, however there were so few patients visiting the centre on the day.
Video
To promote HIW the librarian at GEH created a short video using PowerPoint which was played on a continuous loop throughout HIW on the screen within the main foyer, an informal meeting area at the Education Centre (GETEC), George Eliot Hospital. The video was extremely effective. It was the first time the KLS had “taken over” the screen and we will be using it again to promote other library resources and services.
Social Media activity
@GEHSWFTLibrary
We had composed Tweets for each day of #HIW2022 linked to the themes however we had difficulties with our scheduled Tweets not posting. However, we retweeted other #HIW2022 posts of interest throughout the week as well as tweets about our outreach events.
Things that we could improve for future events or do differently:
- Plan even earlier (we started early and created a task and finish group but events and promotions take much longer than you think to plan)
- Order fewer leaflets from charities and order them earlier
- Take a smaller range of leaflets to events
- Tweet more and check scheduling
- Blog during HIW (we’ve blogged previously but time was limited due to HIW2022 falling during holiday season and staff attending outreach events).
- Make more use of video and screens in our respective Education Centres
- Focus our activity
A huge thank you to our wonderful colleagues at Warwickshire Public Libraries for facilitating and hosting these events.