What should you do when you are writing a leaflet?

Current process

If you are writing a new leaflet now, check with the Clinical Effectiveness team whether it already exists. 

If it does not, get in touch with us at stsft.healthliteracy@nhs.net 

Follow this link for our training powerpoint.

Follow this link for our training checklist.

You can also check out the advice below. 

Check the reading grade of your leaflet

The reading grade of your leaflet means how easy it is to understand. The Trust is aiming to write leaflets at a Flesch-Kincaid Reading Grade of 5-6. Select the link below to find out more. It also tells you how to check the reading grade of your information in Word.

Check how to write health information clearly

Use the links below and in the 'Writing advice' section further down​​​​​ to find out how to write health information in a simple way.

Use tools to help you write

Hemingway Writing Tool

Type or copy and paste your writing into this webpage. It will suggest how to make it clearer. For example, it will highlight sentences that are too long, written in the passive voice, or words people might find hard.

SHeLL Editor

Type or copy and paste your writing into this webpage. It will suggest how to make it clearer. For example, it will highlight sentences that are too long, written in the passive voice, or words people might find hard.

CDC Plain Language Theaurus for Health Communication

This PDF lists lots of words often used in healthcare. It suggests everyday words to use instead.

Everyday words spreadsheet

This spreadsheet includes a list of common medical terms, jargon, and other complex words and suggests everyday words to use instead.

Add pictures into your leaflet

Pictures can help explain the meaning of words. Check that the pictures you use are copyright free. These websites have some copyright free images:

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