Heartbeat: SWB to launch digital library service for patients
January 12, 2023
Our library service will be launching an exciting new digital library service this year called Books on Wards: Read…Listen…Recover
Initially the service will be run as a three-month pilot on two of our Sandwell based wards – Lyndon 4 and Newton 4.
“Though we are starting out initially with two wards we hope to roll out the project across the whole Sandwell site and eventually across the Trust if it proves successful and we have resources in place to do so, said Stacey Richards, Assistant Librarian.
“Though all our wards will benefit from the project, we thought a good place to start would be our stroke and cardiology wards.
“We are currently awaiting equipment needed for the Books on Wards project and are in the process of training of our ward volunteers but once this is sorted, we will be ready to go ahead with the pilot.”
Books on Wards will give patients the ability to access both eBooks and eAudiobooks via an app called BorrowBox. Within the app there is a vast suite of genres from adult fiction, non-fiction, autobiographies, and general interest as well as a large collection of titles suitable for children and adolescents.
Preeti Puligari, Library and Knowledge Services Manager believes Books on Wards will enhance the patient experience at SWB.
The Trust volunteers will play a big role in educating the patients on how to access the eBooks and eAudiobooks on the iPads, kindly provided by our wonderful informatics team.
As part of this project, the volunteers will be trained by the library staff on how to use the BorrowBox app and made aware of a list of accredited websites that the patients can browse to learn more about their health condition. Following their stay on the ward, the patients could also be referred to the Black Country Connected programme and if they met the criteria, they will be given access to a Geobook laptop to continue using the health resources and BorrowBox at home.
Preeti said: “Prior to the Books on Wards project, patients had limited access to entertainment depending on the ward.
“We hope that the service will improve the wellbeing of our patients which will only, in turn enhance recovery by preventing boredom when on the ward. This service will also increase the health and digital literacy of our patients and when discharged, they can continue to enjoy access to their favourite books from home.”
Preeti is keen that when patients are discharged that they still have access to the service as reading is a great source of exercise for the brain and can also improve focus and help reduce stress.
She added: “If patients wish to continue using the BorrowBox app after leaving our hospital, they can join the Sandwell public libraries where they will be provided with their own BorrowBox accounts.
To find out more about the Books on Wards project, please email swbh.library@nhs.net.