Health literacy for all

More health services are moving online, from GP appointments and prescription requests to patients accessing their own health records.

However common barriers to communication include differences in language and culture as well as low levels of health literacy. And with over 11 million people across the UK lacking basic computer skills, the move to a digitised NHS poses some big challenges. 

At Texthelp we create friendly, easy-to-use assistive technology that boosts health literacy for NHS patients and their families.

We’re also helping many NHS Scotland primary and secondary care bodies support staff by allowing them to access information and communicate more effectively in the workplace.

We’re making it easy

‘Making it Easy’ is Scotland’s health literacy action plan that aims to help people deal with the complex demands of the health and care system. Key objectives of the programme include raising awareness amongst the workforce of the hidden problems of health literacy for patients, and enabling NHS Scotland staff to respond accordingly.

Our smart, easy-to-use support technologies help primary and secondary care bodies in Scotland make digital information available in alternative formats. 

Browsealoud makes healthcare websites and online services more accessible for patients and their families, with easy-to-use features like text-to-speech and instant translation.

Supporting NHS Scotland employee communication

15% of Scotland’s workforce is employed in health and social work, representing over 400,000 staff.

Ensuring greater equality and inclusion for all NHS Scotland employees creates a better working environment - and enables better health outcomes for patients and their families. 

The Scottish Government’s National Health and Social Care Workforce Plan includes greater recognition of the value of the medical workforce, with plans to set up initiatives relating to workforce wellbeing. 

Read&Write is our award-winning assistive technology that’s trusted daily by millions of people around the world. Making documents and digital content accessible to NHS employees with literacy challenges and learning disabilities such as dyslexia, it’s also invaluable for NHS staff in the UK whose first language isn’t English.