By Sedef Gavaz, Senior Consultant

Centrally written, standardised patient information leaflets across the NHS are the way forward. After all, where is the merit in each hospital trust writing and producing essentially the same document?

Perhaps NHS Choices already does this, with its plethora of information that is both treatment and condition focused. Trusts need to balance core resources acrossthe board when it comes to producing Patient Information Leaflets by using content from Choices; along with the ability to tailor leaflets adding pertinent details, the clinic address, phone number and a named contact.

Our research has identified patients and their families are daunted by the complexity of the information on offer and seek guidance on which information to engage with. Patients look to the NHS to reassure rather than bamboozle. Many Trusts have their leaflets available online – these are often in PDF format and difficult to access. There are important questions to ask around how these leaflets are accessed. Should the only route to this patient- focusedinformation be online? There will always be some groups who require that face-to-face contact, after all, the resonance of a health professional handing over a leaflet, directing the patient to the relevant section is irreplaceable.

We must be mindful of our audiences and sensitive to their situation. With a patient and family oriented approach the NHS can provide high quality, relevant and reassuring patient focused information. Going forward, standards must to beset, thinking joined up and resources pooled to maximise efficiency.

Creating a balance between the local and centralised NHS – Choices, is a feasible solution. Pooling resources will create efficiencies across the NHS by avoiding duplication of time and effort to produce and maintain patient information leaflets. Moreover, communicating up-to-date information is easily achievable with centrally stored and accessible leaflets. Updates via Choices can bemade easily with alerts sent out to trusts. Although centralising goes against the current mood and idea of ‘big society’ it will create efficiencies that predominantly benefit the patient experience through joined up hospital trust communication.

NHS information can be standardised for the patient, no matter which hospital they visit the information provision will not differ. The overall impact incentrally produced leaflets is three-fold: efficiencies, standards and a joined-up NHS that has confidence in the information quality trusts provide to patients – the result, a better patient experience.