Provide treatment and care information in varied forms, stages, and reinforced

The Index has not yet recorded a verbatim government response to this recommendation.

Please see our response to Recommendation 1 (patient-centred care).

The policy for informing patients about their care is owned and shaped by multiple organisations:

• The DHSC, and NHS England, provide strategic direction and policy frameworks

• NHS England additionally provide a range of tools and information sources, including:

o The NHS Knowledge and Library Hub, which provides access to evidence to make informed decisions about healthcare. The hub is targeted at staff, students and trainees, but much of the information is also useful for patients and their families and careers. o The NHS app, which provides a simple and secure way to access a range of NHS services, for patients aged 13 or over.

o The NHS website, which provides information and services to help people to manage their health.

o A range of patient information guides which can be ordered by GP practices or direct by patients

o NHS 111, for patients who need help with symptoms (online and via telephone).

o An online ‘A-Z’ of conditions.

• NICE develops and produces guidelines for shared decision-making for both patients and people delivering care.

• The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency publish best practice guidance on patient information leaflets.

• The GMC and NMC and other professional regulators provide guidelines and professional standards for effective patient communication.

This collaborative approach ensures that patients receive clear, accurate and timely information about their care across the healthcare system. The CQC sets regulatory standards and inspects compliance.

The Government agreed with this recommendation.

In its January 2002 response, the Department of Health said that the model consent policy required NHS organisation to make good quality up to date information available to patients in a variety of forms, making it that consent was a continuing process, not a one-off event.