The document summarizes the impact and outcomes of the National Health Literacy Community of Practice, which aimed to empower NHS library staff to deliver health literacy activities and share learning. It notes that 16.5% of adults in England have literacy levels equivalent to a 5-7 year old. The Community of Practice created resources like a schools toolkit, increased partnership working, supported new research, and created new library roles focused on health literacy. Through virtual meetings and social media, it connected 379 followers who exchanged over 80,000 impressions on Twitter. The Community helped transform services and mobilize knowledge across the NHS and other sectors to lessen health inequalities.

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We work with Health Education England and those with real-
life experiences, so that we help others to better understand
health literacy and it's impact on patients and the community.
We provide guidance on accessible and easy read resources,
and invited Skills for Life to one of our meetings. They shared
experiences of how scary it is to not understand what is
happening with your health.
Co-production
Future plans
Impressions
1.https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/bulletins/populationandhouseholdestimatesenglandandwales/census2021unroundeddata (accessed 22 March 2023)
2. https://literacytrust.org.uk/parents-and-families/adult-literacy/what-do-adult-literacy-levels-mean/ (Accessed 22 March 2023)
CILIP. (2018). CILIP Definition of Information Literacy 2018. Available at: https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.cilip.org.uk/resource/resmgr/cilip/information_professional_and_news/press_releases/2018_03_information_lit_definition/cilip_definition_doc_final_f.pdf
(Accessed: 9 February 2023)
World Health Organization. Regional Office for Europe. (‎
2021)‎
. Health literacy in the context of health, well-being and learning outcomes the case of children and adolescents in schools: the case of children and adolescents in schools.
Available at: https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/344901. (Accessed: 9 February 2023)
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust. (no date). Health Literacy Schools Toolkit. Available at: https://southlks.libguides.com/HLschools/home. (Accessed: 9 February 2023)
NHS KLS Health Literacy Community of Practice. (2021). National Health Literacy Community of Practice Libguide. Available at: https://southlks.libguides.com/healthliteracy/home. (Accessed: 9 February 2023)
Health Education England. (2021). Knowledge for Healthcare: A strategic framework for NHS Knowledge and Library Services in England 2021-2026.
Available at: https://www.hee.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/documents/HEE%20Knowledge%20for%20Healthcare%202021-26%20FINAL.pdf (Accessed: 9 February 2023)
Public Health England and UCL Institute of Health Equity. (2015). Local action on health inequalities: improving health literacy to reduce health inequalities. Available at:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/460710/4b_Health_Literacy-Briefing.pdf. (Accessed: 9 February 2023)
Context and aim
Health Literacy - a key life skill for all
The impact of an NHS Knowledge and Library Community of Practice
Method
Outcomes
References
Siobhan Linsey – Knowledge & Library Services Manager, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Lorna Dawson – Health Literacy Officer, South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
Lynsey Southern - Knowledge & Library Services Manager, Royal Devon Healthcare NHS Trust
Terms of Reference
LibGuides Pages
Why NHS libraries?
We make sure information is:
• easy to access
• reliable
• high quality
Knowledge is empowering for patients, so
championing health literacy is a natural fit.
It is also part of HEE's Knowledge for
Healthcare strategy.
What did the Community of
Practice aim to do?
The Community of Practice aimed to
empower NHS library staff to deliver
health literacy activities in their Trusts.
It aimed to create a safe environment to
share learning and build confidence.
Why is it a problem?
People with low health literacy are more likely
to:
• Die younger
• Have poorer health
• Have long term conditions
• Use emergency services for minor illnesses
Health literacy causes unfair differences in
health and care. We can make those smaller.
Reach
We have built an energised
Twitter network with regular
engagement.
Followers
Impressions
Tweets
Likes
379
80,000
524
549
Connected with health literacy
experts in NHS Scotland, in
Ireland and Germany.
Transformed services
Health literate Intensive Care Unit wall at
The Royal Devon University Healthcare
NHS Foundation Trust
Supported new research by
Professor Gill Rowlands.
New roles created
Assistant Patient Information Librarian
Library and Health Literacy Skills Trainer
#ukmedlibs twitter chat
On 15 March 2022, we took to
Twitter to share best practice on
how library staff were helping
support health literacy skills in
their Trusts.
Participants
Tweets
42
231
Get a colleague to review your
training.
Word of mouth really works for
promotion.
Join the Community of Practice!
What we learnt ...
Context
16.5% adults(1) in England have literacy
equivalent to literacy levels at age 5-7 year old(2)
9,320,857
Nov 2021- National Launch
What is health literacy?
Health literacy is being able to get,
understand, check and use information
to make choices about health (WHO).
Everyone is affected by health literacy
at some point in their life. So it is a key
life skill.
We do what we do by... ... and responding to need
% member responses June 2022
Siobhan Linsey
Chair
Lorna Dawson
Vice Chair North
Lynsey Southern
Vice Chair South
Mobilising knowledge through
multi-channel network...
• Interactive virtual meetings co-produced by
members apprentice level- B8 senior leads
• Accessible peer-led communication
• Central LibGuides for storing knowledge
assets and resources
Schools toolkit created and
available via LibGuides
Increased partnership working
with public libraries
Provision for public health teams
and wider system level work
Cross-sector projects
Runner up in Knowledge
Mobilisation Initiative Award 2022
Achieving against our aim
@HealthLitKLS
Moving things forward
• Widen group out to prison librarians and more cross-sector projects
• Increase insights from NHS staff groups and those with lived experience
• Grow access to resources, updates, and learning through platform and conference
Build on practice to lessen health inequalities and increase health literacy for all.
That's
people
Universal precautions approach
Our members can teach others how to be inclusive when
providing health information. This is key to enabling
everyone to be involved in chats about their health and
care, regardless of their abilities or literacy levels.