The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement has published the NHS library services Review and NSF. The review, written by Professor Peter Hill, has highlighted the centrality of library, knowledge and information services within the NHS and describes four key purposes for library and knowledge service:
- clinical decision making by patients, their carers as appropriate, and health professionals
- commissioning decision and health policy making
- research
- lifelong learning by health professionals.
The NSF defines the outcomes required for library/knowledge services in England. It provides the national quality assurance framework for service improvement. The intention is that library/knowledge services are aligned to the business needs of the NHS and are demonstrably delivering to need and expectation. It enables NHS organisations and service managers to develop service improvement plans. It also enables commissioners to describe what needs to be commissioned and expected performance outcomes. (National Library for Health - review)
