Good communication is at the heart of safe, effective and person-centred care. Health literacy is about helping people access, understand and use health information to make informed decisions about their health and care.
During Health Literacy Awareness Month, we shared a range of practical resources, tools and techniques that can help staff improve communication, check understanding and support patients to navigate an increasingly complex health information landscape.
Start Here: Understanding Health Literacy
If you're new to health literacy, these resources provide an excellent introduction:
📖 What is Health Literacy?
https://mtwlibrary.blogspot.com/2026/09/health-literacy-month-what-is-health.html📘 Improving Health Literacy in the NHS https://thenhsalliance.org/resources/improving-health-literacy-in-the-nhs
🎥 The Language of Health https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eUS6gxx6IE&t=1s
📊 Health Literacy Matters Infographic https://pifonline.org.uk/resources/health-literacy-matters-infographic/
Understanding Your Population
Health literacy levels vary across communities. Understanding local needs can help tailor communication and patient information more effectively.
📖 Understanding Health Literacy in Your Area https://mtwlibrary.blogspot.com/2026/10/understanding-health-literacy-in-your.html
🗺️ Health Literacy Geodata Tool https://healthliteracy.geodata.uk/
Practical Techniques for Everyday Conversations
Health Literacy Toolkit
The Health Literacy Place Toolkit contains evidence-based techniques that can be applied in clinics, wards, outpatient settings and community services.
📖 Making Every Conversation Count: Five Techniques https://mtwlibrary.blogspot.com/2026/10/making-every-conversation-count-five.html
🧰 Health Literacy Toolkit https://healthliteracyplace.org.uk/toolkit/
Chunk and Check / Teach Back
These simple techniques help ensure patients understand information before they leave a consultation.
📖 Chunk and Check: A Simple Way to Improve Understanding https://mtwlibrary.blogspot.com/2026/10/chunk-and-check-simple-way-to-improve.html
🎥 Teach Back and Chunk Videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLGO07Ullqs&list=PLy40BQdDNtH7mhPnASASYBCDI3X5siwjc
🎥 Chunking and Checking Consultation Basics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxcYmzV0sMo
Creating Clear Written Information
Health literacy is not just about conversations. Written information should also be easy to read and understand.
📖 Is Your Information Easy to Read? https://mtwlibrary.blogspot.com/2026/10/health-literacy-awareness-month-is-your.html
✍️ NHS Document Readability Tool https://readability.ncldata.dev/
📘 Health Literacy How-to Guide https://library.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/08/Health-literacy-how-to-guide.pdf
Tackling Misinformation
Patients increasingly seek health information online. Supporting people to identify reliable information is an important aspect of health literacy.
✅ Misinformation UnMASKED Checklist https://library.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/05/Misinformation-UnMASKED-checklist.pdf
🎥 NHS Misinformation UnMASKED https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dTLRb9aPLA&list=PLy40BQdDNtH7UjJ2tHCdIxTBKX3b3L8oJ
🎥 The Impact of Health Misinformation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpCXnDvDJCo
Videos Worth Watching
These short videos are useful for individual learning or team discussions:
🎥 The Language of Health https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eUS6gxx6IE&t=1s
🎥 Lightbulb Moment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFV3HNm6FQA
🎥 This is Bad Enough https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3tJ-MXqPmk
🎥 Teach Back and Chunk Video Series https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLGO07Ullqs&list=PLy40BQdDNtH7mhPnASASYBCDI3X5siwjc
Learning and Development Opportunities
MTW Health Literacy Awareness Training
Join our one-hour virtual awareness session to learn practical techniques you can use immediately in practice.
📅 Upcoming dates
- Wednesday 11 November, 12:30-13:30
- Thursday 3 December, 09:30-10:30
- Tuesday 12 January, 13:00-14:00
- Friday 5 February, 14:00-15:00
🔗 Book on MTW Learning: https://mtwlearning.org/course/view.php?id=2213
e-Learning for Healthcare
Can't attend a live session?
Complete the national Health Literacy e-learning programme:
https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/healthliteracy/
Final Thought
Health literacy is everyone's responsibility. Whether you are explaining a diagnosis, discussing treatment options, writing patient information or helping someone navigate online health information, small changes in how we communicate can make a big difference. By using plain language, checking understanding and signposting people to trusted information, we can help patients feel more confident, informed and involved in their care.
