兔子先生

Public health news: September 2024

This quarter we are focusing on the importance of information and advice.

• Information is the open and accessible supply of material that is of interest to a group of people.  
• Advice offers guidance and direction on an action which needs to be taken to meet a specific goal.  

If people can't access the information and advice they need, their health may be at risk.

Health Literacy

George Bernard Shaw once said that "the single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it's taken place".

Health literacy means that people have the right skills, knowledge, understanding and confidence to access, understand and make the best use of health and social care information and services.

This includes:

• Reading skills
• Writing skills
• Speaking skills
• Being able to understand what is said
• Being able to understand and use numbers

In England, 42% of working age adults are unable to understand and make use of everyday health information. This goes up to 61% when numeracy skills are needed as well. Guidance tells us the average reading age in the North East of England is lower than the national average.

Some groups of people are more likely to experience lower health literacy. These include: 

• People from more deprived areas
• Migrants and people from ethnic minorities
• Older people
• People with long-term health conditions
• People with a disability

By improving health literacy, we can reduce health inequalities. 

If more people understand the information and advice they receive, they can make better choices for their health.

The good news is that South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust now have a dedicated health literacy team that is reviewing all patient information and working to make it more accessible for out residents.

There are also lots of simple steps we can all take to make the information we produce more accessible. For example:

• Use short, simple words and sentences
• Use I, we and you
• Don't use jargon or acronyms (or explain what they mean)
• Write numbers in figures
• Use consistent language

There is some great training on the basics of health literacy available from First Contact Clinical as part of their '' training courses.