About the Health Literacy Hub

Welcome to the Health Literacy Hub

The Hub is an initiative of Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD), in collaboration with the University of Sydney.

Our goal is to make healthy choices easier for everyone by connecting people to information and ideas to improve health.

Members of the public can use this site to find advice on how to:

• get the most from conversations with their health provider
• find a health service
• access reliable information about their health
• connect with other websites offering consumer advice on health and specific illnesses.

Health professionals who register with the Hub can access a wide range of educational materials and programs, practical tools and advice on health literacy.

Policies and frameworks

Improving health literacy is a national and state government priority. At a national level, the Australian Commission for Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) requires health services to meet guidelines on health literacy as a part of their commitment to improving patient care (find out more here: https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/our-work/patient-and-consumer-centred-care/health-literacy/).

The New South Wales Clinical Excellence Commission provides resources and practical strategies to assess and address health literacy (find out more here: http://www.cec.health.nsw.gov.au/quality-improvement/people-and-culture/person-centred-care/health-literacy).

The Agency for Clinical Innovation (ACI) works with clinicians, consumers and managers to design and promote better healthcare across NSW Health and primary care contexts. The work of ACI aims to provide evidence and tools to busy healthcare staff to deliver care that supports consumers, families and communities in the daily management of their own healthcare (find out more here: https://www.aci.health.nsw.gov.au/resources/chronic-care/consumer-enablement/guide).