News & Events > Producing and disseminating health information

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in the US have launched a Gateway to communication practice. The web site has many resources to help build health communication or social marketing campaigns and programs. These include health literacy, new and social media resources and research on evaluation techniques and communicating risk.

PIF survey respondents cited a lack of budget and resources, combined with increasing pressure to achieve results as key challenges. In response the Information Standard has designed an incentive package including 100 £5,000 grants to not-for-profit and charitable organisations who sign up to achieve certification.

A new section on the King's Fund website pulls together all its analysis and work on the issues surrounding the NHS White Paper and points the reader in the direction of useful resources elsewhere on the web. The web pages include responses to the White Paper, 10 challenging questions about the White Paper and news and events related to it. There are several blogs on issues in the Paper, including the role of information. You can contribute to the discussion there.

Online Information Prescriptions have been launched on the NHS Choices web site. The new service provides information on more than 100 long-term conditions, from tooth abscesses to prostate cancer and heart failure. The service allows users to find and select basic information about their condition, treatment, prevention and clinical trials. Users can also find more specialised information about their condition from external partner organisations, local support organisations and services in their local area. New e-learning and self-assessment tools are available to help staff improve their information-giving skills.

Work has begun on an online tool for calculating the value for money of behaviour change interventions. The tool will be available for free on the National Social Marketing Centre website. The Centre is also commissioning a review into the effectiveness of of social marketing to affect behaviour change. The report will systematically search the UK evidence base and synthesise the findings.