After many years of delivering Making Every Contact Count (MECC) sessions for the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), they asked us to help address another critical and too often overlooked issue: poor health literacy.
We know that many individuals struggle to access, understand, and apply health information effectively. This is a barrier to making informed decisions about individual health, contributes to health inequalities, and impacts public health outcomes. OHID required a practical and engaging training solution to help their teams communicate clearly and effectively, whether that be written or verbally.
These sessions combine theory with hands-on application, giving participants tools they can immediately translate into their roles. A key feature of this was asking each attendee to bring an example of written materials they use with patients or clients. Throughout the session, we worked to refine these into clearer and more accessible formats.
Alongside the written materials, the training also explored techniques to improve verbal interactions, using tools like 'chunk and check' and 'teach back' to support understanding in conversations about health.
The training course has been praised for its relevance and practicality. Participants appreciate that the tools can be quickly and easily applied into their day-to-day roles. Many also recognised that improving health literacy is not limited to clinical roles, and that whole organisations, including policy-makers could benefit.
For organisations looking to enhance staff understanding and ability to address the issue of poor health literacy, our bespoke course offerings are a great place to start. Get in touch for more details on how we can support your team.