The Health Literacy Blueprint from the patients’ perspective

CSR Europe launched the first-ever Blueprint for Business Action on Health Literacy on 27 March 2013 in Brussels, Belgium. Our Director Nicola Bedlington attended the event, outlining the patients’ perspective in terms of enabling patients with chronic conditions to participate in the labour market.

The blueprint is a toolbox accessible to all companies and organisations to help them integrating health literacy into their corporate strategies. The rationale behind this initiative is to to equip employees and employers with the right knowledge to make health choices in everyday life. This will ultimately improve health and wellbeing at work and therefore contribute to healthier lifestyles in Europe.

EPF supported the inclusion of a section on employees with chronic conditions while most of the blueprint is about prevention and health promotion. Our director Nicola Bedlington said that "Health literacy is fundamental for our organisation. We need health literacy to be able to navigate through our healthcare systems and use that information effectively to really manage our care together with our trusted health professionals. Health literacy is key to patients’ empowerment."

Some tools on supporting employees with chronic disease are available here. There is a European brochure proposing a step-by-step approach on how to support employees with a chronic illness who still have a valuable contribution to make to the European workforce. The other guide provides practical solutions that will benefit both the employer and the employees.

The project “Learning Network on Health and Wellbeing” will start in autumn 2013.  This health and wellbeing project should help to put the Blueprint into practice within companies.

If you want to add tools or information to the Health Literacy Blueprint, please let CSR Europe know by email (cn@csreurope.org).

For any other information about health literacy from the perspective of patients, please contact Nicola Bedlington, EPF Director.