News > Evaluating the quality of health information

Health for all Children (Hall 4, 4th Edition) provides a framework for connecting the range of different policies and activity that support children and young people's health and development in the early years and beyond. 

NHS Lanarkshire (NHSL) established a Hall 4 Implementation Steering Group to oversee the NHSL implementation of the recommendations of the Hall 4 guidance and ensure a universal core programme for child health screening and surveillance.One of the elements of this core programme is the provision of written information about healthy infant and child development.

It is against this background that the NHS Lanarkshire Hall 4 implementation group commissioned research which explored the effectiveness of the information provision and distribution provided to parents and carers of 0-5 year olds in Lanarkshire, and also whether the provision of two comprehensive booklets (Ready Steady Baby (RSB) and Ready Steady Toddler (RST)) would be adequate.

The research compared information provision across Scotland, and took account of the views of parents and health professionals in determining opinions of the current and alternative methods of delivery of health information.

It concluded that the variation in the opinions and experiences of parents emphasizes the challenge faced by health professionals in providing information which is suitably tailored to all parents’ needs.

Click here to download a copy of the report