This is a guest blog from Gemma Jolly, Head of Health and Wellbeing at the Reading Agency, on the charity’s ‘Reading Well Programme’. This programme is a national ‘Books on Prescription’ scheme, which provides people with recommended reading material to help them understand and manage their health and wellbeing.
The Reading Agency
In England, more than 4 out of 10 adults struggle to understand health information and 6 out of 10 adults struggle to understand health information that includes numbers (Rowlands et al., 2015). This significantly impacts people’s ability to manage their health and wellbeing and can lead to more health inequality and more preventable ill-health.
The Reading Agency is a national charity and our mission is to empower people to read because we believe everything changes when you read. Our primary focus is championing the proven power of reading to support people in all areas of life, including understanding and managing their health and wellbeing. To meet this ambition, we have developed our flagship reading and health programme – Reading Well.
About Reading Well
Reading Well is a national Books on Prescription programme developed by The Reading Agency and delivered in partnership with Libraries Connected. Since 2013, it has provided recommended reading to help people understand and manage their health and wellbeing. All books on a Reading Well scheme are chosen by health professionals and people with lived experience. This ensures the books provide evidence-based information that speaks to people’s needs.
Reading Well supports people with self-management and shared decision making. It is not a replacement for clinical care but provides additional support.
About the books
There are currently four Reading Well schemes:
- Reading Well for mental health – includes books about managing common mental health conditions and difficult feelings and experiences.
- Reading Well for teens – focuses on mental health and includes books on anxiety and depression, low self-esteem, body image, bereavement and loss, surviving online and sexuality and gender identity.
- Reading Well for children – for children 7-11, includes books on feelings and worries, daily life and getting through a tough time, as well as managing specific conditions, such as ADHD, autism and living with a disability.
- Reading Well for dementia – includes books about dementia, personal stories about living with dementia, personal experiences of caring and books for children.
Each scheme includes a range of different books, such as book-based cognitive behavioural therapy, health information, fiction, poetry and personal stories. Books are also chosen to meet the needs of people with different reading levels. Most Reading Well books are available in different formats including books, e-books and audiobooks.
In Wales, the books are translated into Welsh to support Welsh readers’ access to health and wellbeing resources in their chosen language.
The books are chosen following an evidence-based methodology that includes mapping health guidelines and policy, consultation, and then chosen by a selection panel.
Each scheme has its own book selection panel made up of people with lived experience, health professionals, leading health charities, librarians and other relevant professionals. Alongside this we work with a co-production partner on the development of each Reading Well scheme. This means that people with lived experience inform all aspects of the development from identifying relevant evidence to designing the supporting materials, selecting books for inclusion and marketing.
How to use Reading Well
Reading Well books can be used to support conversations around managing health and wellbeing, alongside the delivery of existing services and as part of post-diagnosis information and support. They can also help whilst people are awaiting treatment.
Reading Well books can be borrowed for free from public libraries across England and Wales.
You can signpost someone to a specific Reading Well title or the full booklist, depending on need. Alternatively, people can pick up the books from the open shelves of their local public library.
“I frequently suggest books and resources to people who want to know about their illness and want to learn how to help themselves…It is so helpful to have a well-chosen list with a range of formats” – NHS GP
The evidence
Evidence demonstrates that reading can be a powerful and effective health and wellbeing intervention. Through reading, people can access health information, book-based therapy and shared stories that provide support and combat stigma.
Over 3.8 million Reading Well books have been borrowed from public libraries since 2013. Reading Well is supported by members of the public, GPs, mental health professionals and government ministers as a helpful community-based programme.
Our own evaluation of Reading Well demonstrates the positive impact Reading Well books have on people’s understanding of their health and wellbeing.
- 92% of respondents found their book helpful and 81% said their book helped them to understand more about their health needs.
- 69% of respondents said their book supported them in coping better with health needs.
- 90% of health professionals surveyed said the books helped support people outside of consultation time and feel more confident about self-managing their symptoms.
“It has helped me realise what I am experiencing” – Reading Well user
Reading Well is endorsed and supported by over 40 partners including Royal College of General Practitioners, Royal College of Psychiatrists, Royal College of Nursing, British Psychological Society, Alzheimer’s Society, Dementia UK, YoungMinds and many more.
Alongside these endorsing partners we work with a range of co-production partners to ensure people with lived experience inform and shape the schemes including Innovations in Dementia, the Coalition for Personalised Care, Children in Wales, Partnership for Young London and Family, Kids and Youth.
Get in touch
If you would like to find out more about Reading Well or any of our reading and health work contact us at readingwell@readingagency.org.uk
Social media handles:
Facebook: The Reading Agency
Instagram: @readingagency
YouTube: @readingagency
LinkedIn: The Reading Agency
Other resources for facilitating self-management and shared decision making
As the official home of personalised care education, we have a vast selection of resources designed to equip health and care staff with skills in facilitating self-management and shared decision making. These range from our free 30-minute eLearning modules to multi-day accredited courses provided by excellent third-party institutions.
See our full resource list at: https://www.personalisedcareinstitute.org.uk/pci-resources-menu/