Health Literacy For All

The majority of adults in England are in the 11-14 year old reading age group. In England 43% of adults (18-65) do not have adequate literacy skills to routinely understand health information and 61% of adults (18-65) do not have adequate numeracy skills to routinely understand health information. Accompanying this, a lot of service users are ashamed of their low literacy levels and don't like to ask for help.  This leads to problems with reading prescriptions and instructions for self-care, confusion about dietary needs and such things as reading the names of medical staff and notices and signs around hospitals and other care settings. 

There are already various initiatives which have been set up, including patient liaison librarians (and NHS libraries) in acute settings, Chunk and Check and Teach Back techniques used by medical staff and practical teaching courses set up in the community to inform diabetes patients about dietary requirements and portion control. There is also a wealth of current literature on the subject. 

However, nobody seems to be joining up the dots and low levels of health literacy continue to have an impact on all areas of patient care (this is especially so in poorer areas). Different regions and organisations are taking different approaches and invest in diverse programmes. There is some valuable work being done, but it seems to me that to do it justice, we need to have a coherent and inclusive strategy going forward from NHSE to combat the problem. In this way, we can help to empower people to have a better understanding of their treatments and choices and enable them to look after themselves better.