Reading and Health The National Context

1
Reading and HealthThe National Context

• Debbie Hicks
• Director of Research
• The Reading Agency

2
The Need

• 1 in 6 people in Britain suffer from mental
  health problems
• 1 in 4 suffer from mental illness
• Third of adults with depression and half with
  anxiety disorders are not in touch with health
  services

3
The Cost

• Mental illness in England cost 50b in 2007
• 22.5b spent on direct NHS and Social Care
  Services
• Huge increases predicted in dementia - up by 61
• Doubling the bill for mental health services to
  an est. 47b

4
Health Benefits of Reading

• Evidence that bibliotherapy increases the SMA of
  older people
• Evidence that reading increases health literacy
• Reduces stress levels
• Reading group impact research
• Correlation between reading and physical and
  mental health outcomes

5
Health Policy Context

• Darzi Report Vision backed by 220m Innovation
  Fund
• New Horizons Mental Health Strategy
• National Dementia Strategy
• NICE guidelines

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Reading, Health and Libraries

• Reading and health - a library USP
• Libraries - a powerful strategic partner for
  health
• Providing reading services and community outreach

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The Library Bibliotherapy Map

• Rich and diverse library bibliotherapy map
• A spectrum including BOP and creative
  bibliotherapy practice
• BOP- a library success story
• Harder to attract NHS investment and support in
  creative practice

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The Library Bibliotherapy Map

• A question of definition
• Reader development vs reading for health
• Explosion in library linked reading groups
• 10,000 groups supporting all sorts of reading
  audiences including older people

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Evolving Practice

• New approaches joining up creative best practice
  with self help
• Adding value through creative interventions to
  the BOP model
• Health literacy reading groups for emergent
  readers
• Adapting the reading group model for specific
  audiences

10
The Reading and Health Challenges

• Need for national co-ordination, advocacy,
  partnership building
• Effective and consistent evaluation producing
  better evidence of impact
• Accredited practitioner and work force
  development

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The Reading Agency

• Working with SCL Health Group
• New Thinking Events programme - Think Tank,
  Conference, Training
• Creative interventions to BOP model
• Action research - reading and older people
• New reading group model
• Advocacy
• Reading and health post

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Contact

• debbie.hicks_at_readingagnecy.org.uk

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The Readers Voice

• Reading is like going on holiday without packing
  your bagsits better than any doctors medicine