Report of Clear information group review of A guide to your GP practice leaflet

Healthwatch Coventry assessed the accessibility of a leaflet about GP surgeries after the local CCG asked them to. They used their Clear Information volunteers to assess the information in the leaflet.

The volunteers found that:

• Sections of the document weren’t written clearly enough.  Some parts scored as moderately challenging or challenging when they used a Plain English checker.  The leaflet contained terms like primary care and clinical need which most people wouldn’t understand.
• The leaflet was very long. They felt that a shorter leaflet would reach more people. It should highlight key information with the most importance information first. Improvements needed to be made to the flow of the text and the tone to make it more readable.
• The leaflet was silent about other circumstances in which people could ask for face to face appointments e.g. because they couldn’t use the telephone triage system.
• The volunteers also identified the need to ensure that the leaflet was future proofed – for example removing references to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The report contains two recommendations – one about getting further feedback on a redraft and the other on key areas to be addressed.

The CCG redrafted the leaflets to address the issues that the Healthwatch Coventry Clear Information Volunteers had identified.