How to complete the implementation plan

Realistic Medicine for public libraries

This page is designed to help your library service reflect, adopt, and monitor actions that support Realistic Medicine principles in your community.

Get started with your Realistic Medicine implementation plan

Each section gives you practical examples, helpful prompts, and space to add details about your own library.
These explanations will guide you as you fill out the template, plan your activities in support of Realistic Medicine, and share what you’ve achieved. They’ll help you know what to write, how to think about your plan, and how to make it work best for your library.

If you are new to Realistic Medicine or implementing health initiatives, start by reading through each section. Use the guidance and prompts to tailor the plan to your library’s needs.

Set up your objectives

What is this section for?
Here, you set out what your library aims to achieve by engaging with Realistic Medicine.

Why does it matter?
Clear objectives help focus your actions and measure your progress.

How to complete it:

  • Review the example objectives provided.
  • Discuss as a team. What are your priorities? Is it staff confidence, community health literacy, supporting informed decisions, or something else?
  • Write 2–3 objectives that reflect your local needs.

Reflection prompt:
How do your objectives connect to your library’s wider mission or community needs? Are there existing initiatives you can link with?

Set up your actions

What is this section for?
The action menu offers a range of suggested actions across four themes: staff learning, public information, partnerships, and collections.

Why does it matter?
You can select, adapt, or add actions that best fit your library’s context and objectives.

How to complete it:

  • for each action, decide if it’s relevant to your library (select yes/no)
  • add details or notes how will you deliver the action
  • reflect on who will be involved
  • set a target date and track progress (status).

Reflection prompt:
Which actions will have the biggest impact for your staff and community? Are there quick wins and longer-term goals? How do actions in different themes support each other?

Set up monitoring and evaluation

What is this section for?
This section helps you plan how to track progress and measure success.

Why does it matter?
Monitoring ensures you know what’s working, can celebrate achievements, and identify areas for improvement for Realistic Medicine.

How to complete it:

  • for each indicator (e.g., staff training, website views), decide how you will track it (for example, quarterly check-ins, feedback forms)
  • assign responsibility. Who will collect and review the data?
  • set review dates

Reflection prompt:
What data do you already collect that could help?

How will you use feedback from staff and the community?

Identify risks and plan for mitigation

What is this section for?
Identify potential risks (for example, staff capacity, low engagement) and how you will address them.

Why does it matter?
Thinking ahead helps you plan for challenges and find solutions early.

How to complete it:

  • list possible risks
  • describe the impact if they occur
  • suggest mitigation actions (for example, sharing workload, promoting events more widely)

Reflection prompt:
What risks have you faced in similar projects?

What worked to overcome them?

Identify the support you need

What is this section for?
Record what support your library needs from stakeholders (local authority, Realistic Medicine leads, health partners, national bodies) in order to achieve the objectives you set up.

Why does it matter?
Identifying support needs helps you seek help, build partnerships, and ensure success.

How to complete it:

  • for each stakeholder, note the support you need (for example, training, resources, promotion)
  • be specific and think about what would make a real difference

Reflection prompt:
Who are your key partners?

How can you build or strengthen these relationships?

Measure success and impact

This section helps you understand how to track the difference your work in Realistic Medicine is making and how to share that progress with others. It brings together quantitative data, qualitative insights, real‑world stories, and your approach to reporting so you can build a rounded picture of impact.

What is this section for?

To help you record meaningful evidence of progress, both the numbers that show what has changed and the stories that show why it matters. It also guides you in planning how you’ll share your learning and successes with others.

Why does it matter?

A balanced approach to measurement strengthens your implementation plan.

  • quantitative measures show scale, reach, and activity.
  • qualitative insights and stories reveal experiences, learning, and human impact.
  • reporting and sharing help build momentum, celebrate achievements, and inspire wider engagement.

Together, they create a compelling picture of Realistic Medicine in action in your library.

How to complete it:

Identify your quantitative measures

  • list the indicators you’ll track (for example, number of staff trained, attendance at events, uptake of tools)
  • note how you will collect the data (sign‑in sheets, digital analytics, surveys, etc.)

Reflection prompt:
Which numbers best show your progress, and how will you use them to guide improvement?

Capture qualitative insights

  • gather reflections, feedback, and observations from staff, service users, partners, and teams
  • decide how you will collect these insights (short surveys, informal conversations, debriefs, feedback forms)

Reflection prompt:
How can you encourage people to share their experiences, and what insights would help you learn and adapt?

Record stories of Realistic Medicine in action

  • use the story template to capture:
    • Title
    • Date
    • Who was involved
    • What happened
    • The difference it made
    • Why it matters
  • consider permissions and consent before sharing

Reflection prompt:
What recent examples illustrate the impact of your work, and how did Realistic Medicine contribute?

Plan how you will report and share progress

  • decide how and when you’ll share updates (team meetings, newsletters, presentations, social media, internal reports)
  • think about who needs to hear about your progress and how to celebrate achievements

Reflection prompt:
Who should be kept informed, and how can you share success in a way that motivates others?

Final reflection

This section gives you space to pause, look back on your work, and consider what you’ve learned about supporting health literacy. Reflection helps you recognise progress, understand challenges, and identify what will strengthen your approach going forward.

What is this section for?

To help you reflect on your experience, capture key learning, and think about how you can continue to build confidence and capability in supporting Realistic Medicine.

Why does it matter?

Reflection turns experience into insight. It helps you:

  • recognise what worked well
  • understand what could be improved
  • identify the support or resources you need next
  • strengthen future planning and implementation

This reflective process is an important part of embedding Realistic Medicine in everyday practice.

How to complete it:

Think about the knowledge, skills, and understanding you’ve gained while supporting Realistic Medicine and health literacy.

  • what approaches felt effective?
  • what you now understand differently?
  • how your confidence has changed?
  • did any barriers or enablers emerge?
  • what you would stop, start, or adapt?
  • how you might approach similar work next time?