Balancing long-term health literacy skills development with immediate action to facilitate use of reliable health information on COVID-19 in England

  • Ruth Carlyle Health Education England
  • Sue Robertson Health Education England

Abstract


High-quality healthcare information exists for patients and the public, but a high proportion of individuals do not have the skills to access, assess and use this information. Health Education England leads the strategic development of knowledge and library services in the National Health Service (NHS) in England. One of the goals of the Knowledge for Healthcare strategy is that staff, learners, patients and the public are better equipped to use evidence-based patient, health and wellbeing information for shared decision-making and self-care. This paper outlines a partnership approach to raising awareness of health literacy, and improving the health literacy awareness and skills of NHS staff and citizens, whilst meeting immediate needs to access trustworthy information on COVID-19.

Author Biographies

Ruth Carlyle, Health Education England
Head of Knowledge and Library Services within national NHS knowledge and library services team at Health Education England, working across the Midlands, East and North of England.
Sue Robertson, Health Education England
Knowledge and Library Services Development Lead within national NHS knowledge and library services team at Health Education England, working across London, the South West and South East England.
Published
2021-12-20
How to Cite
1.
Carlyle R, Robertson S. Balancing long-term health literacy skills development with immediate action to facilitate use of reliable health information on COVID-19 in England. JEAHIL [Internet]. 20Dec.2021 [cited 19Mar.2024];17(4):12-6. Available from: http://ojs.eahil.eu/ojs/index.php/JEAHIL/article/view/493
Section
Feature Articles