Background Within Health Education England, Library and Knowledge Services are acknowledged as a ‘powerhouse for education, lifelong learning, research and evidence-based practice. An annual quality assurance framework benchmarks services nationally, providing evidence of input to improving patient care, supporting research activity, workforce development and innovation.

Provision, access and use of hospice library services throughout the UK is largely unknown. A report for the Commission into the Future of Hospice Care – ‘Research in palliative care’ (2013) – referred to the fact that ‘88% of hospices had a library space and 94% had subscriptions to academic and professional journals’, however, it acknowledged that there was no clear picture on the ‘extent to which these facilities are used’.

Aims and method This project aims to capture that missing data, and more, by surveying all adult and children’s hospices throughout the UK. It aims to build a ‘state of the nation’ picture of hospice libraries, service awareness, usage and staffing. The survey will be conducted in Summer 2016, with preliminary results available for presentation at Hospice UK’s 2016 conference.

Outcomes: partnership and potential With a better understanding of the services available, and usage of library services, the survey findings will enable hospice library staff and those involved in the wider hospice research, education and training remit to:

• Identify areas to develop and work collaboratively on to support research, education and continuing professional development

• Share expertise

• Explore the potential for shared purchasing and cost-saving efficiencies.