of the short courses. The methodology included:


1. Reviewing documentation and a sample of course materials and checking that they map to areas in the CILIP PKSB as indicated in the mapping document


2. Interviewing the management team on strategy, development and delivery


3. Reviewing CVs and interviewing a sample of trainers to assess expertise and quality of delivery.


Overall, the assessors agreed that the Knowledge for Health Learning Academy:


“… clearly meets the five criteria for accreditation. Overall, we were very impressed by how they use the PKSB to inform the development of the Learning Academy, their processes for identifying development needs and the high-quality experience it offers their staff. It is a fantastic example of staff development for the wider library sector; the success of the model could be shared more widely with


other parts of the library sector. For exam- ple, the sectors we mainly work in (public libraries, archives, special collections)


could learn a lot from the way this has been delivered, particularly the focus on the development of para-professional staff.”


Recommendations for continuous improvement were made within the accreditation report, including introduc- ing better collation and analysis about the quality and impact of the learning experience. Evaluation was an area that we had already identified as needing more work and we are currently overhauling the evaluation process and improving reporting about the value of the Knowl- edge for Healthcare Learning Academy to NHS knowledge and library service staff and their employers.


Benefits of accreditation


The accreditation process was rigorous and provided an opportunity to make further improvements to our short-course offer and reflect on how the Knowledge for Healthcare Learning Academy has evolved since it was first accredited. Completing the accreditation process has improved the quality of our training offer. From our first accreditation we changed the way we collate information about our short-courses. This is now more consist- ent and has in turn made the accreditation process this time much simpler. This included introducing a single booking form to capture all the key information for accreditation such as learning outcomes, course details, trainer CVs, and mapping to relevant CILIP PKSB areas. Accreditation from CILIP provides a badge of quality for learners and employ- ers who rely on the short course offer to


18 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL


develop the skills and knowledge required for evolving roles. For practitioners it means that courses have clearly identi- fied competencies aligned to professional standards and they can target their own development activities. The required alignment of all short-courses to the CILIP PKSB and engagement of course leads with CILIP has helped to focus our offer on the skills and knowledge to help learn- ers develop their careers. An additional benefit is that it helps course participants to reflect on their learning from these development opportunities as part of their CILIP Professional Registration.


Learning from the accreditation process


Although the process of CILIP short course accreditation is demanding it can also lead to improving course planning and delivery. There are several things that training providers can put in place to apply good practice when developing training programmes which will also make it easier should you decide to apply for CILIP accreditation.


1. Alignment of the training programme with organisational strategic aims and objectives.


2. Ensure that the training offer meets an identified development need across the relevant knowledge and library service community.


3. Have a clear commissioning process with trainers that includes agreeing learn- ing objectives, methods of delivery and access to supporting materials.


4. Align all courses to the PKSB.


5. Set up a logical system for each course where trainer details including CVs, detailed course information and support- ing materials can be saved in one place.


6. Ensure that the individuals whom the programme is aimed at know where courses are advertised and are clear about the commitment required from them in terms of active participation in events.


7. Have an agreed process for gathering feedback and evaluation of events and learning to assess the impact of the train- ing and to assess what further develop- ment might be required.


Next steps


When first writing about the setting up of The Knowledge for Healthcare Learning Academy Dom Gilroy and Alison Day (2022) described their vision for the acad- emy as being:


“… respected as the first port of call for employers and line managers aiming to strengthen the knowledge and library service team and individuals seeking to develop and widen their knowledge and skills.”


The successful accreditation process and the feedback from the assessors is proof that this ambition has been achieved. Going forward the plan is to continue to develop the offer by ensuring the training remains relevant and accessible to the NHS knowledge and library services com- munity across England. The programme for 2026-27 started with a run of courses looking at AI and algorithmic literacy, which was the most identified need by all staff groups in the 2025 development needs analysis. Already over 500 col- leagues have signed up to these events and good feedback has been received. A more detailed prospectus is being developed which will outline several themed pathways for professional development, including expert searching, digital, data and technical skills, knowledge mobilisa- tion, health literacy and research. Work is also underway in developing a founda- tional pathway of skills development for paraprofessional staff and people new to health librarianship.


In the current climate, finding time to attend training can be challenging but it is necessary to do so to ensure that this specialised workforce is able to develop the personal and professional skills they need for their services to remain relevant within a fast-changing workplace and to grow their individual careers. Independent accreditation by CILIP of the Knowledge for Healthcare Learning Academy short- course programme gives course participants and their managers reassurance that this is a worthwhile investment of their time as the training will be of a high quality and relevant to their work. This will ensure their ability to deliver the best possible services to their users as expressed by the ambition of Knowledge for Healthcare (Health Education England, 2021). IP


“NHS bodies, their staff, learners, patients and the public use the right knowl- edge and evidence, at the right time, in the right place, enabling high quality decision-making, learning, research and innovation, to achieve excellent health- care and health improvement.”


References


Gilroy, D. and Day, A. (2022) Knowledge for Healthcare Learning Academy: Achieving CILIP short course accredi- tation, Information Professional March 2022 pp. 30-32.


Health Education England (2021) Knowledge for Health- care: A strategic framework for NHS Knowledge and Library Services in England 2021-2026.


June-July 2026


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