Key Points to Include in an Information Governance Leaflet That Has Been Written for The

Key points to include in an Information Governance leaflet that has been written for the general public

The NHS Information Governance standards state that all healthcare providers, or all organisations that work for healthcare providers and deal with patient level data, should provide information to their clients (i.e. patients and their families) about Information Governance, and specifically about how their personal information is used by the provider or organisation. One of the easiest ways to do this is by creating a public facing leaflet on Information Governance and how it impacts on the reader.

The question is, what sort of information do you need to include in this leaflet, and what level of detailed information needs to be contained within the leaflet?

Creating a leaflet sounds like a relatively easy and creative task but in reality it can be very tricky. Here are a few pointers to consider as you embark upon creating your own Information Governance information leaflet:

- First think about how the booklet should look. Do you visualise the document as a 3 way folded leaflet, as a full on booklet, or as a one page flyer? Once you know what the leaflet will look like, you can start to draft text to fit into the document template.

- Next think about branding. What sort of company branding do you need to incorporate into the leaflet? Are there any specific style guidelines for the organisation? What do they say? Is there a specific logo that needs to be added to the leaflet? How much space with this take up?

- Do you want to include any imagery into the leaflet? Which images? How big will they be? Do they sit in line with the rest of the leaflet branding?

- By now you should have some idea as to how much space you have left for the written copy of the Information Governance leaflet. Work out approximately how many words this space equates to so that you know how much content you need to include.

- The content of the leaflet text will differ depending on the type of services you offer, the number and range of public members you work with and how much involvement you actually have with their personal information. However, in general the following key points should be included within your leaflet:

o A definition of what Information Governance is

o An explanation of how and why Information Governance is important to the reader

o Examples of different types of personal information o An explanation of how this personal information is used throughout the organisation. You could perhaps provide examples of what the information is used for, and what it isn’t used for. o A contact point for the reader, so that they have details of who to contact if they have further questions on the use of their personal data by your organisation o If relevant, an explanation about the Freedom of Information process o Signposting to further information or guidance about Information Governance o And if possible, remember to quote the fact that your organisation has been assessed as compliant with the NHS Information Governance standards too!