Top marks for hospital library service for the third year

Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals’ Knowledge, Library and Information Service have achieved a perfect score of 100% for Health Education England’s (HEE) annual NHS library assessment, for the third year running.

Hospital libraries perform a crucial role within any trust, providing staff with research support and access to electronic resources, as well as offering evidence to support decision making. The Trust operates two libraries, one in Doncaster Royal Infirmary and the other in Bassetlaw Hospital.

Annually, libraries within the health service are assessed against national standards as detailed in the NHS Library Quality Assurance Framework. Recognising the excellent provision the team has to offer, HEE awarded the Trust top marks, one of only a 10 services in the north of England to achieve such a feat, out of a total of 61 organisations.

Ruth Woodcock, Knowledge and Resources Librarian at the Trust, said: “We are thrilled to have achieved a perfect score of 100% for the third year running. I believe this highlights the hard work, dedication and commitment we have within the team and we hope to sustain this good performance long into the future”.

In preparation for the assessment, a great deal of work went into showcasing the good work of the Trust, such as health and wellbeing activities, supporting staff and students in their continued professional development, eLearning and research activities, in addition to catering to the various educational needs of staff.

Karen Barnard, Director of People and Organisational Development at the Trust, said: “Once again, I want to extend my thanks to the Knowledge, Library and Information Service for providing such a fantastic, and essential, service for members of Team DBTH. Gaining top marks for the third year showcases just what a fantastic team they are and highlights how lucky we are as an organisation to have them.”

The Trust would also be remiss not to mention the efforts of Janet Sampson, former Knowledge, Library and Information Service Manager who retired in December 2018. A valued member of the team for over two decades, Janet has successful managed the service for a number of years and will be much missed by colleagues within DBTH.