Examples of NALA plain English edited documents in May and June 2012

Our editing service deals with all kinds of documents, forms and websites. Examples of recently edited documents are:

• The Digital Switchover Leaflet for the Department of Communications Energy and Natural Resources
• The Medical Card and GP Visit Card Application Form for the Department of Health
• The Plain English Summary of the Draft Report on Symphysiotomy by Dr Oonagh Walsh, for the  Department of Health

The Central Bank’s commitment to plain English

On 19 June The Central Bank reported on its review and inspection of how banks and insurance firms are implementing their revised Consumer Protection Code. The review found that most firms are well managed. It also identified areas for further improvement including ‘providing clear, accurate, up to date information to consumers, that is, written in plain English.’

The review identified examples of best practice ‘including the training of staff in communicating clearly and plainly with consumers and the employing of third party experts to review and edit written materials where in-house expertise is not available.’

You can download The Central Bank’s guide for consumers which explains the revised Consumer Protection Code at www.centralbank.ie/consumer/info. 

Health literacy roadshow

Limerick was the most recent stop on the NALA/MSD Ireland health literacy roadshow. On 30 May 22 health professionals attended a health literacy event, two hours of which focused on plain English training. This training, delivered by one of our most senior Plain English Editors was well received as were other similar events this year in Dublin, Cork and Galway.

To learn more about health literacy go to www.healthliteracy.ie.

May plain English training - a great success

On Wednesday 30 May, 22 people attended our one-day training programme on plain English in Dublin. They came from organisations such as the Pensions Ombudsman Office, the Road Safety Authority of Ireland and the Health Service Executive. The training covered why plain English is important and how best to use it. Participants also practised their newly learned plain English editing skills with practical examples and exercises. The feedback from the day was really positive with many wanting more training. Thanks to all the participants. We wish you well sharing your knowledge of plain English with colleagues and friends. If you are interested in plain English training contact Claire O'Riordan on (01) 412 7922 or by email at coriordan@nala.ie.