LIBRARIES TO OFFER ACCESS TO HEALTH INFORMATION (York Liberal Democrats)

York Liberal Democrats <info@yorklibdems.org.uk>

LIBRARIES TO OFFER ACCESS TO HEALTH INFORMATION

December 2, 2009 12:00 AM

Libraries across York will soon be offering health information and free access to NHS online services as part of a scheme to improve the availability of health information.

The scheme is the result of a national agreement between the Department of Health and the Society of Chief Librarians

The city's libraries and Explore Centres will offer books and leaflets on a range of health topics and will also offer free online access to NHS websites, such as NHS Direct and the appointment booking service, NHS Choices.

The scheme has also seen library and Explore Centre staff trained to help visitors find the information they need.

NHS Health Visitors will be helping to promote libraries by delivering free Bookstart packs to children between 12 and 18 months old, along with information on the activities available for children at the city's libraries.

Liberal Democrat Executive Member for Housing and Adult Social Services, Councillor Jonathan Morley, whose portfolio covers health issues, welcomed the partnership. He said, "As many people are not able to use internet at home to access services like NHS Direct and NHS Choices it is very important that we make this information available through other means."

"Changes to the NHS mean that people now have much more choice in terms of how and where they are treated. This has meant people look to do much more research than that have in the past about their treatment and the various options that they have."

Liberal Democrat Executive Member for Leisure, Culture and Social Inclusion, Councillor Nigel Ayre said the scheme would help further expand the amount of information available in the city's libraries. He said, "We are always looking to expand the range of information that our libraries can provide so I am very pleased that York is taking part in this scheme."

"We want our libraries to empower people by giving them access to the information they need to make decisions. This scheme will give many more people access to important health information and will help them make informed choices about their health and wellbeing."