Health literacy: The role of NHS library and knowledge services

Abstract

Health literacy is key to person‐centred, preventative healthcare and is both a societal and individual responsibility. This feature describes work undertaken by Health Education England, the Community Health and Learning Foundation and NHS Library and Knowledge Services to raise awareness among NHS staff and other key partners of the impact of low health literacy. It highlights a range of health literacy resources and ideas for developing and adapting these tools for remote delivery during and post‐pandemic. D.I.

NHS knowledge and library services in England in the digital age

“…NHS knowledge specialists have raised awareness of the impact of health literacy, and promote tools and resources (Carlyle et al, 2022 ) and developed elearning (Health Education England, 2022d ). They deliver training to upskill the healthcare workforce (Naughton et al, 2021 ).…”

Development and spread of health literacy eLearning: A partnership across Scotland and England

“…This formed part of the wider strategic framework for developing and raising the profile of NHS knowledge and library services (Lacey Bryant et al, 2018 ) and increasing the role of NHS libraries in patient and public information (Carlyle et al, 2022 ). NHS librarians trained the NHS workforce in their organisations, in some instances developing health literacy champions in clinical teams (Naughton et al, 2021 ). In 2020–2021, nine trainers were trained to cascade training, with 18 trainers trained in 2021–2022.…”