What is this resource?

From 2008, everyone who has a long-term condition or social care need will be offered an 'information prescription' (IP), in consultation with a health or social care professional. IPs will guide people to relevant and reliable sources of information to allow them to feel more in control and better able to manage their condition and maintain their independence. This includes helpful and relevant information, for example about conditions and treatments, care services, benefits, and support groups. IPs will also contain links or signposts to sources of information about local health, social care, and other services - usually phone numbers, websites etc.

The Department of Health has funded the development of this online resource. Read a summary of what is contained in the resource and the main points of learning from the pilot programme [16 page Acrobat PDF: 475Kb]

Also available is a short flyer promoting this online resource. Please feel free to download the flyer and share the link with colleagues so they can see at a glance what the online resource offers and how it can help and support your organisation introduce information prescriptions locally.

If you would like hard copies of the overview or flyer, please email Clare Wener with your full contact details.

The Department of Health piloted a programme in which twenty health and social care organisations throughout England tested the process of issuing information prescriptions to patients and carers in their local area. This resource is based on what these pilot sites achieved and it designed to help people in all kinds of health and social care organisations to develop their own information prescriptions service.

As you will quickly see, IPs can take very many forms, with many different types of information, and be issued by a wide range of different professionals and clinicians.

The resource contains ideas on how to get started and things you need to think about throughout the process. It also has many rich examples of information templates, prescribing procedures, patient leaflets, and so on, developed by the pilot sites.

If you are a social carer, GP, consultant, specialist nurse, community care practitioner, a member of staff at a hospital, clinic or pharmacy, a district nurse or any other professional, clinician, volunteer, patient or carer – with an interest in IPs – this resource is designed for you. It is designed to help you understand what IPs are and help you play your part in:

making a case for IPs in your own organisation, drawing on the experience of the 20 pilots
planning the first essential steps: a) engaging users and carers in determining what information needs there are; b) gaining the active and enthusiastic participation of professionals and partner organisations; and c) sourcing and/or collecting and quality-assuring the information that will be included in your IPs.
undertaking the necessary project planning, encouraging small beginnings and growing on success
promoting IPs internally and externally, to raise awareness and encourage staff and users alike to participate in the process
getting an effective and comprehensive IP system working in your local area, and then monitoring, evaluating and improving it through the evidence and experience you gain along the way.

The resource also includes examples of models and templates for IPs, good practice examples, hot tips and checklists.

More resources will be added to the resource in the near future: for instance ideas about promoting your IP work and learning from experience, and more practical examples that people contribute.

Some terms used in this resource

IP = information prescription. In this resource, we use this to refer either to the actual IP given to a patient or carer, or to the process that a health or social care organisation (and its partners) sets up so that it can issue IPs.

'professionals' and 'clinicians': IPs will be issued by people in a variety of roles in a wide range of health, social care and other local organisations. In this resource, we sometimes generalise these roles by referring to 'professionals' or 'clinicians'.

See also the glossary of terms in this resource.

If you would like to know more about how to introduce information prescriptions within your local organisation, please contact:
Ian R Maidment
National Co-ordinator - Information Prescriptions
Market Research, Public and Patient Empowerment
Department of Health
email Ian
mobile: 07775 938 511
tel: 0117 986 9486

next page: how this resource is structured and how to use it

Information prescriptions
On-line resource