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Better information, better choices, better health: putting information at the centre of health

  • Last modified date:
    1 March 2007

People get their information and knowledge about health from a wide variety of sources, from family and friends, from television and magazines, from the internet, from doctors and nurses and the NHS itself. That is why this information strategy sets out to make information an integral part of healthcare and also describes a new relationship between people and the knowledge the health service holds.

The future is about sharing - sharing of information, sharing of decisions and sharing of responsibility. We know that patient involvement in decision-making improves health outcomes. We know that patients want choices about what treatments they can have, where they are treated, and how they are treated. We also know that there are benefits to all in the public being involved in how health services are provided.

Underpinning all of this is information. It is fundamental to choice and making informed decisions. Without information there is no choice. Information helps knowledge and understanding. It gives patients the power and confidence to engage as partners with their health service.

But we also know that information is not always available, or not available in a medium or language people want. We know that information can be variable in quality and even be contradictory. We know that information comes in many forms - word of mouth, letters, websites, journals, leaflets, just as there are many providers of health information.

This strategy attempts to bring this all together - to ensure information is available to the disadvantaged and marginalised groups, to quality assure and accredit information providers so the information can be trusted, and to extend access to information in a range of media for everyone.

This strategy builds on the commitments set out in Building on the Best - Choice, responsiveness and equity in the NHS, which was published in December 2003. It has been developed with the engagement of patients and other stakeholders who shared their ideas and experiences and expertise with great generosity. The work will continue over the next few years both nationally and locally to really make information and choice available to all.

Harry Cayton
Director for Patients and the Public

Better information, better choices, better health task groups

To develop Better information, better choices, better health, four task groups were established - with representation from the Neurological Alliance, Healthcare Commission, National Patient Safety Agency, National Institute of Clinical Excellence, Medicines Partnership, NHS Alliance, Long Term Medical Conditions Alliance, NHS Alliance, Modernisation Agency, British Medical Association, Royal College of Nursing, Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, National Electronic Library for Health, CancerBACUP, Citizens Advice, Council for Ethnic Minority Voluntary Organisations, Royal College of GPs, National Association of Primary Care, Social Services, an NHS Trust (Foundation Trust), Primary Care Trusts, Strategic Health Authorities - to look at the following areas:

  1. Extending the range and scope of quality information for choice;
  2. Signposting quality assured information;
  3. Supporting people to access quality information;
  4. Helping service providers fulfil their role as information providers.

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