NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Health Passports

NHS Health Passports

Commissioned by the NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly we were asked to develop an aid for young Care Leavers to obtain various healthcare services including registering with a GP.

Information about health issues and medical history for someone who has been in care isn’t easily acquired or retained and the lack of information can make it very difficult to register with the various healthcare professionals. Children who have been in care become eligible to leave at 16. Although they may remain in care for several more years, the NHS wanted to provide Care Leavers at 16, with all the relevant information they needed, relating to their health, to make it much easier for them to obtain the healthcare services that most of us take for granted.

Working in partnership with Arts for Health Cornwall and Isles of Scilly through a series of consultations with young people and healthcare professionals, we developed the Health Passport. It was important that the document be robust, easily handleable, editable and extensible – allowing details to be updated and added to. We designed a pocket-sized notebook with space included to record details of medical and health history as well as space for information about doctors, dentists and other medical professionals. The user-friendly file format enables information to be added to or updated and a handy pocket on the inside back cover means appointment cards and other information can be inserted and kept safely.

It was also important that the document connected with the young people as something of value, and not dumbed down – something that they would take ownership of. By giving a choice of colours that the Care Leaver can select provides a subtle, yet important, sense of ownership right from the outset. The Health Passport puts the Care Leaver in control of their own medical history and health information and provides them with a sense of personal ownership and self importance.

This project involved
Project Consultation
Design Development
Passports
Project Management
Print Management

Font
Meta Serif by Font Font
Printer
Printed by Francis Antony Limited using environmentally responsible vegetable oil-based inks
Paper
Greencoat, a Carbon Balanced paper from Howard Smith Paper, made with recycled fibre and certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
Finishing
Cover: Gloss varnished, sandgrain embossed and foil blocked. Binding: Thread sewn in sections and perfect bound with pocket on inside back cover and elastic enclosure.