Health Literacy Awareness Training for Community Health Champions

The Dudson Centre is hosting a health literacy awareness training session on Wednesday 4 November, starting at 9:30am. It's run by Dr Mike Oliver, a chartered psychologist and registered health psychologist from Health Literacy Matters, and it's aimed at registered Community Health Champions — the local volunteers who bridge the gap between healthcare providers and the community here in Stoke-on-Trent.

The session gets to the heart of something a lot of us see every day: low health literacy. In Stoke, far too many people struggle to read and understand medical information, which makes it hard for them to navigate the health system or act on the advice they're given. The training is designed to change that, giving champions the tools to communicate health messages in a way that empowers people to make informed decisions about their own health and wellbeing, rather than just nodding along when they're not entirely sure what's being said.

If you're one of those volunteers working on the ground, this is exactly the kind of thing that makes the difference between a patient leaving a consultation confused and one leaving with a clear plan. It's about taking complex medical talk and translating it into something that actually works for people in the real world, so they can take charge of their own care.

It's a free session, and you'll need to register beforehand — you can do that at chc.vast.org.uk or by emailing CHC@vast.org.uk. The Dudson Centre is on Hope Street, ST1 5DD, and the whole thing kicks off at 9:30am on Wednesday 4 November.