How Straight Talkers are helping health and care organisations deliver information patients can understand.

1. Creating information patients can understand
about their health and care

2. • A not-for-profit communications company
• Established in 2015 by experienced marketing and communications professionals
• Our clients are health and social care organisations. We translate the complex
information they produce into easy to understand pieces in many different formats such
as braille, audio, video and plain text for text to speak apps and screen readers
• Our services benefit people with disabilities, i.e. learning disabilities, visual impairments
and hearing loss, but are also helpful for foreign speakers, elderly and children and
young people
• We are an equal opportunities, community-focused employer;
providing work experience and flexible employment opportunities for
local people with disabilities.
About Straight Talkers

3. • Audit and planning services
• Review current approach
• Gap analysis
• Recommendations
• Implementation and support services
• Specialist toolkits
• Sharing best practice and peer networking opportunities
• Policy templates available
• Resource creation
• Design, creation and distribution of accessible materials
• Print, electronic, video, audio
• Free easy read templates available
Our Services

4. • Face to face contact cannot be overlooked
• Workplace training around effective communication methods for people with disabilities
• Autism awareness training also available
• Delivered in the workplace by experienced trainers and people with disabilities
• 1 day courses for up to 15 staff, could be undertaken by a group of practices or a
federation
Training and Staff Development

5. • Widely used way of presenting information for individuals with learning disabilities or
those with limited literacy
• Pictures accompanied by straightforward text
• Some free templates available from Straight Talkers
• In-house or outsource
Easy Read

6. • Convert text to braille
• Outsource via a specialist such as Henshaws or the Scottish Braille Press
• In-house - buy a braille embosser and braille translation software for around £1000
Braille Printing

7. • Used mainly by those who are deaf or have hearing impairments
• A BSL interpreter can be used in GP appointments and will usually cost around £30 per
hour
• Interpreter Now is an on-demand alternative which is easier and more cost effective
British Sign Language

8. A not-for-profit company
CONTACT:
Fiona Sherwood
fiona.sherwood@straighttalkers.org
07740 486395