The National Health Service and medical libraries in England.

This paper provides an overview of the National Health Service in England, including its history, its present structure, and factors that make it different from the U.S. health care system. The NHS libraries and librarians are discussed. The NHS is divided into fourteen regions in England. Three specific NHS libraries in the Wessex region are described--a hospital library, an administrative library, and a patient education library. The problems and accomplishments of NHS librarians are discussed, as well as some similarities between NHS libraries and U.S. medical libraries. Medical librarians are urged to try to understand the medical library scene in England, so that they can Learn from the unique strengths of their counterparts there.