The 2004 United Kingdom white paper ‘Better
information, better choices, better health’ sets out an
ambitious strategy for the provision of health
information.1 Everyone should have improved
access to high quality information, health professionals
should communicate more effectively with
patients, and there should be a nationally coordinated
process to produce and deliver information.
There has been some progress towards these goals
(e.g. NHS Direct now provides consumer health
information by telephone, internet and digital
television), but many patients and consumers still
do not have access to the information they need or
want, in a format they can understand.2 A lack of
appropriate health information can have serious
or even fatal consequences.3 As the target date for
implementing the strategy is 2008, we discuss
health information provision and what can be
done to improve health communication.