Joint health strategy group
The Joint Health Strategy Group has constituent members from a number of significant library organisations who have health interests. The founding members are SCONUL, CILIP and RLUK. In addition, the group also has representation from the British Library Health Care Information Service; CILIP Health Libraries Group; NHS Strategic Health Authority Library Leads Group (SHALL); University Health and Medical Librarians Group (UHMLG) and the Consortium of Health Independent Libraries (CHILL). Meetings are held in London usually three times per year and are hosted in turn by CILIP and SCONUL. The meetings are chaired by a representative of the founding members and currently this is Chris Fowler on behalf of SCONUL for 2013/14. The current RLUK representative on the group is Brian Clifford of Leeds University.
Terms of reference
• To advocate the value of library and information services within healthcare and social care with leading organisations and influencers in the sector, including the Department of Health, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the NHS Executive tier. In so doing to produce policy statements, responses and other advocacy material as appropriate
• To engage with relevant bodies in relation to cross-sectoral policy development affecting health libraries such as common procurement and licensing of electronic content, accreditation, information literacy etc.
• To identify future developments and trends within the healthcare and social care sectors that will impact on library and information services and to facilitate knowledge sharing amongst members of the Health Strategy Group, their sponsoring organisations and more widely in the sector
• To be sensitive to any differences across the home nations in relation to health policy and libraries or NHS/HE engagement and to ensure adequate communication with such bodies as the Devolved Nations Forum and higher education bodies in these countries
• To disseminate information useful to SCONUL, RLUK and CILIP members on the work of the Joint Health Strategy Group particularly in relation to key policy developments and issues in the health sector
Top image courtesy of Imperial College London Library