driver for change towards achieving the vision of Knowledge for Healthcare.3 Developing the health library and knowledge specialist workforce of today and tomorrow calls for a rounded view, addressing current needs and ‘hot top- ics’ while planning for the future, all the time staying grounded. What do service users think? What do employers need? What do library and knowledge services staff want? What is the strategic per- spective of the HEE team?


The user and employer perspectives Drawing on responses from over 17,000 NHS staff and learners as we developed the strategy, we found that users of NHS library services wanted “personalised cus- tomer service”, “literature searches and synthesised, pre-packaged information” and “information provision at the point of need by outreach and clinical librarians”.3 Knowledge for Healthcare anticipates a greater role for knowledge brokers and “new embedded roles that focus on informing decision-making, and translat- ing knowledge into action.”3


Figure 1. Workforce planning and development workstream Driver Diagram.


Working with CILIP, a task and finish group expanded the Professional Knowledge and Skills Base (PKSB)5


developing a PKSB for


Health that enriched the original with the addition of examples from the health sector. 6,7


Similarly, the


later CILIP/SLA Corporate Library and Information Services Survey reported a trend towards demand for information to be presented as near to ‘decision-ready’ as possible, and for information profession- als to be embedded within teams.4 These perspectives were incorporated into the strategy, with the corollary that the “healthcare library and knowledge workforce requires enhanced skills, including synthesising information, knowledge management” and more.3 Marketing was also highlighted because HEE’s strategic advisory groups empha- sised that awareness of library and knowl- edge services was not as widespread as we would wish within the NHS.3


Defining the skills base


With the strategic direction set by HEE in Knowledge for Healthcare, we set out first to define the skills needed, and second to better understand the needs expressed by library staff, before embarking on developing a national training programme.


HEE’s strategy committed to “establish and agree core and specialist competen- cies for library and knowledge services staff”.3


As with so many of the projects completed to underpin and enrich professional development, this work was undertaken by a small group of dedicat- ed health librarians, giving their time and expertise on behalf of their peers.


June-July 2020


This was designed to serve multiple audiences – individuals, library teams and organisations. Survey data from 2019 (see figure 2), points to where the tool is proving useful to individuals.8


Thirty-six per cent of respondents [n=266 of 738] use this self-assessment tool to identify strengths and areas for personal and career development. This will include using the PKSB as an integral element of preparing for CILIP Certification and Char- tership.9


In the workplace it can be helpful in staff appraisals and talent management conversations to aid staff development and retention. It has also been used for staff audit, inviting team members to share their self-assessment, mapping and discussing the skill mix as a way to spot skill gaps and prioritise development across the team.10 However, the data also shows that 51 per cent of respondents were unaware of or had forgotten about the tool. Another group was


aware of the PKSB for Health but felt that they had not yet had the right opportunity to use it. A few felt it was not relevant or, for instance, preferred to use the generic CILIP tool.8 At a strategic level, the PKSB is a core element of the suite of resources that HEE deploys to assist NHS employers and managers who are considering redesigning services and roles to meet the changing demands of the organisation and of users.11 Overall, our view is that the online tool has attracted a pleasing level of interest. As of May 2020, there had been 996 unique visits to the ‘PKSB for Health pages’ on the Knowledge for Healthcare blog.12


Additionally,


in the last year alone, 2019 to May 2020, there were 670 page views of the PKSB for Health on the CILIP webpages with 209 downloads.13


Development Needs Survey and Analysis For the NHS “it is critically important to focus on our current workforce and their on-going development needs.” More than 50 per cent of today’s workforce will still be working in the health service in 2032. If we want to transform services over this period, we need to develop the current workforce.”14


Figure 2. “Have you ever used the PKSB for Health?”. INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL 39


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