Health Literacy Developments

in Scotland

Blythe Robertson

Scottish Government

Christine Hoy

The ALLIANCE

Defining Health Literacy

Confidence, Knowledge,

understanding and skills to

access and collaborate in our own

healthcare and successfully self-

manage

Social disability model

We wouldn’t be disabled but for the

systemic barriers that society places

in our way.

“We want Scotland to be a health

literate society which enables all of

us to have sufficient confidence,

knowledge, understanding and

skills to live well, on our own terms,

and with any health condition we

may have”

Ambition

Aims

• Raise awareness and the capabilities of professionals

• Promote the development and spread of existing and new health literacy tools, innovations and technologies

• Improve access to these tools and resources

• Cater for health literacy needs at transitions of care

Workforce awareness and

capabilities programme

Leadership, management and team leaders• Develop an organisational culture to support

HL

• Address in their rights and inequalities agenda

• Support staff capabilities

Individual Clinical Staff• Recognise people’s HL needs

• Aware of appropriate resources

• Employ a range of tools

National Demonstrator Programme

• Really aimed at supporting the health

literacy needs, information etc to

support people at transitions of care.

Challenges and limitations

o Implementation

o Evaluation

o Time and money

“Our vision is for a Scotland where people who

are disabled or living with long term conditions

and unpaid carers have a strong voice and

enjoy their right to live well.”

• National 3rd sector org

• Strategic intermediary

• 900 members

• Self Management Strategy –

Gaun Yersel (written by people

with long term conditions)

15 min per month

= 3 hours per year

Copyright 2004 FreePhotosBank.com

Individual Health Literacy

Starts with the conversation ……

“Medical authors have generally written in a foreign language; and those who were unequal to the task, have even valued themselves upon couching .. their

prescriptions, in terms and characters unintelligible to the rest of mankind

….The cure of disease is doubtless a matter of great importance; but the preservation of health is of still greater … It is not to be supposed that men can be sufficiently upon their guard against diseases, who are totally ignorant of their causes.”William Buchan “Domestic Medicine; or a Treatise on the prevention and cure of diseases by regimen and simple medicines”, Chamberlain, 9th ed Dublin 1784

“characters unintelligible to the rest of mankind”

Scotland - 26.7 per cent “may face occasional

challenges” Scottish Survey of Adult Literacy August 2010

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pchweat/2331900663/

Community Health Literacy

finding, understanding, using information

• ALISS Health Literacy• Links Project• Links Worker Programme• Improving Links in Primary Care• and many many more ……..

Patient Portal

ALISSA Local Information System for Scotland

www.aliss.org

Information service and

tools

Collect information about

local assets

Manage - tag and

maintain

Share - publish through

multiple outlets - any

computer

What is ALISS?www.aliss.org

“I can read it but I don’t

understand it”

Links Project 2011

•10 practices across Scotland

•Four weeks after an initial consultation, 35 out of

131 patients living in deprived areas in Glasgow

were still using a service

•Directories of local resources: hard to keep up to

date, duplication of effort - need for something

like ALISS to connect / share information

Improving Links in Primary Care 2014

Benefits of asset mappingBenefits of asset mappingBenefits of asset mappingBenefits of asset mapping

There's lots of local

community organisations which we

didn't realise were out there. I

mean there's loads of stuff going

on, whether it is charities or

voluntary work or voluntary

organisations. (GP)

Improving Links findings:Improving Links findings:Improving Links findings:Improving Links findings:

The involvement of both

the local and main city librares

provided an excellent forum for

initiating, developing and

improving links between the GP

practice and community

groups.

Conclusions• It’s all about relationships• Multiple positive benefits when people / community resources are connected• People / staff need easy fast access to local information• Needs time, support and technology• Potential for mutual benefit if GP practice/ library pool resources ………..

Future developments

•NHS boards have been invited to be a national health literacy demonstrator

•ALISS is blossoming!

•Growing support for signposting (social prescribing)

•Librarians are key community asset

Thank you