Time for SerendipiTEA: A Health Library-Led Cross-Organisational Randomised Coffee Trial

Abstract

Time for SerendipiTEA was introduced by librarians at Mercy University Hospital (MUH) and Adult Mental Health Services Cork (AMHS/St. Michael’s Unit) as a pilot initiative to encourage staff to connect across those services.

Based on the idea of randomised coffee trials (RCTs), the project allowed staff from MUH and St. Michael’s Unit to volunteer to be paired with a colleague who they would not normally meet in their day to day lives at work. Pairs were invited to arrange an informal meeting, either in person or virtually, with no set agenda beyond starting a conversation about each other’s work and experiences.

Fourteen staff members took part — seven from MUH and seven from St. Michael’s Unit — representing a range of departments and roles in medicine, nursing, allied health and administration. Feedback showed that participants valued the chance to meet new colleagues, broaden their understanding of the health service and reflect on their work. One participant described the experience as “energising” and shared that it gave them “a greater appreciation of not only other services but [their] own also.”

Challenges were mainly practical, such as scheduling difficulties for the participants and a low feedback response rate for the organisers. Participants suggested ideas for future iterations, including broader promotion and alternative formats such as group or “speed meeting” sessions.

Overall, the trial provided a positive foundation for future iterations of Time for SerendipiTEA and demonstrated clear potential for building stronger connections between MUH and AMHS staff, using projects like this RCT.