Written by Gemma Jolly, Head of Health and Wellbeing, The Reading Agency
Did you know reading is a creative activity can help people manage and understand their health and wellbeing? Regular readers benefit from improved sleep, concentration and a better ability to cope with difficult situations.
The Reading Agency is a national charity and our mission is to empower people to read, because we believe everything changes when you read. Our primary focus is championing the proven power of reading to support people in all areas of life, including understanding and managing their health and wellbeing. To meet this ambition, we have developed our flagship reading and health programme – Reading Well.
About Reading Well
Improving health literacy is key for reducing health inequalities and our research shows 1 in 3 say they want to read more books about how to manage their health and wellbeing.
Programmes such as Reading Well, a national Books on Prescription programme developed by The Reading Agency and delivered in partnership with Libraries Connected, provides recommended reading to help people understand and manage their health and wellbeing. All books on a Reading Well scheme are chosen by health professionals and people with lived experience. This ensures the books provide evidence-based information that speak to people’s needs.
About the books
There are currently four Reading Well schemes:
- Reading Well for mental health – includes books about managing common mental health conditions and difficult feelings and experiences.
- Reading Well for teens – focuses on mental health and includes books on anxiety and depression, low self-esteem, body image, bereavement and loss, surviving online and sexuality and gender identity.
- Reading Well for children – for children 7-11, includes books on feelings and worries, daily life and getting through a tough time, as well as managing specific conditions, such as ADHD, autism and living with a disability.
- Reading Well for dementia – includes books about dementia, personal stories about living with dementia, personal experiences of caring and books for children.
Each scheme includes a range of different books, such as book-based CBT, health information, fiction, poetry and personal stories. Books are also chosen to meet the needs of people with different reading levels. Most Reading Well books are available in different formats including books, e-books and audiobooks.
In Wales, the books are translated into Welsh to support Welsh readers access health and wellbeing resources in their chosen language.
How to use Reading Well
Reading Well books can be used to support the management of health and wellbeing, alongside the delivery of existing services and as part of post diagnosis information and support. They can also help whilst people are awaiting treatment.
Reading Well books can be borrowed for free from public libraries across England and Wales.
“I frequently suggest books and resources to people who want to know about their illness and want to learn how to help themselves…It is so helpful to have a well-chosen list with a range of formats” - NHS GP
The evidence
Evidence demonstrates that reading can be a powerful and effective health and wellbeing intervention. Through reading, people can access health information, book-based therapy and shared stories that provide support and combat stigma.
Over 3.8 million Reading Well books have been borrowed from public libraries since 2013. Reading Well is supported by members of the public, GPs, mental health professionals and government ministers as a helpful community-based programme.
Our own evaluation of Reading Well demonstrates the positive impact Reading Well books have on people’s understanding of their health and wellbeing.
- 92% of respondents found their book helpful and 81% said their book helped them to understand more about their health needs.
- 90% of health professionals surveyed said the books helped support people outside of consultation time and feel more confident about self-managing their symptoms.
“It has helped me realise what I am experiencing” – Reading Well user.
Reading Well is endorsed and supported by over 40 partners including Royal College of General Practitioners, Royal College of Psychiatrists, Royal College of Nursing, British Psychological Society, Alzheimer’s Society, Dementia UK, YoungMinds and many more. We also work with a range of co-production partners to ensure people with lived experience inform and shape the schemes
Get in touch
If you would like to find out more about Reading Well or any of our reading and health work contact us at [email protected]
The Reading Agency (2022) Reading Well in 2022