Reading Well is a national Books on Prescription programme developed by The Reading Agency in partnership with public libraries. It provides recommended reading, chosen by health professionals and people with lived experience, to help people understand and manage their health and wellbeing.
Reading Well is endorsed by professional health bodies, including NHS England, Royal College of General Practitioners, Royal College of Nursing and Royal College of Psychiatrists. The programme complements existing local health services and is a simple way of delivering prevention and early intervention self-help care and support.
There are five Reading Well schemes that are available and free to access from your local library service:
Provides information and support on looking after your wellbeing in pregnancy and the early years (from conception to two years old) for parents, carers and anyone supporting people from pregnancy onwards.
Provides information and support for managing common mental health conditions or dealing with difficult feelings and experiences.
Provides information, advice and support for teenagers aged 13-18 years old to help them better understand their feelings, handle difficult experiences and boost their confidence.
Provides information, advice and stories, for children aged 7-11 years old and families, focused on coping with feelings and worries, daily life and tough times.
Provides information and support to help people understand more about dementia including people living with dementia, carers and family members.
The books are available in all of Worcestershire’s libraries, and library membership is free to all Worcestershire residents. The books can be loaned for up to 3 weeks. You can find out more information on all the collections our Reading Well webpage, including links to the library catalogue to check book availability. As well as on the library shelves, the collection is also available from the online library on Borrowbox.
If you have any questions regarding Reading Well, contact libraries@worcestershire.gov.uk or The Reading Agency at readingwell@readingagency.org.uk.