Health awareness and support available at Bromley libraries at the end of week-long initiative

This week, for the first time, libraries across Bromley have been taking part in the annual Health Information Week which runs until Sunday.

Initiated by a number of organisations including the NHS, the Patient Information Forum and Libraries Connected, the aim of the week is to provide the public with reliable information on keeping well and accessing appropriate support.

There are five themes this year – winter health, mental health, wellbeing, digital literacy, and health literacy and misinformation.

Representatives from local Primary Care Networks and the Integrated Care Board are visiting the appropriately-named ‘Better’ libraries to run sessions on using the NHS app, non-medical support and social prescribing.

Libraries in the borough of Bromley are run by charitable social enterprise GLL under the ‘Better’ brand.

Taking part in Health Information Week is part of an ongoing plan to promote health literacy via the library service (GLL has also recently signed up to a mental wellness project with NHS England).

Alex Martin, GLL’s sector libraries manager for Bromley, said: “Taking part in Health Information Week has been a brilliant opportunity to work together with our local NHS services.

“We’ve had a good turn-out and customers have come with a variety of questions and concerns. We look forward to developing this partnership in years to come.”

Pictured top: Healthcare advisers Sophy Jeremy, Jessica Giwa-Osagie and Donna Mentesh at St Paul’s Cray Library (Picture: GLL)