ST ALBANS, England, May 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

The Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Alliance (PAPAA) has been certified as a provider of high quality health and social care information by The Information Standard scheme. PAPAA met the scheme criteria of producing safe and reliable health and social care information. PAPAA has consequently been awarded The Information Standard quality mark, which they can display on their literature and website illustrating to the public that their information can be trusted.

According to a survey carried out by The Information Standard[1], the majority of the general public (72%) believe that they would be better able to manage their own and their family's health if they had quick and easy access to health information they could trust. The Information Standard, which is supported by the Department of Health, was launched to provide this kind of assurance.

Angela Coulter PhD, Hon FFPH, Hon FRCGP, an independent healthcare analyst who advises on the scheme, commented: "Organisations that become certified members of the scheme, and therefore display The Information Standard quality mark on their health information or social care materials, have proven that they adhere to the very highest standards of information production. The public can feel confident that if they see The Information Standard quality mark on health and social care websites or leaflets then the information can be trusted and relied upon."

David Chandler Chief Executive of PAPAA said, "...as the first psoriasis charity to gain certification under the scheme, we can now go on and be a leading light, by providing positive support to people affected by psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, and will continue to produce information that can be trusted and is evidenced based."

Any organisation that produces health and social care information can apply to become a certified member of the scheme.

Notes to Editor

The Information Standard is a certification scheme for health and social care information. It is an independent scheme supported by the Department of Health. Any organisation that produces health and social care information can apply to join the scheme. If an organisation successfully meets the quality criteria of the standard and becomes certified, it can place the quality mark on its materials. The quality mark is a quick and easy way for the public to identify reliable and trustworthy sources of information. The scheme's certified members are a mix of national charities, NHS organisations, voluntary, statutory and commercial organisations. The scheme is growing as organisations are in the process of gaining certification.

For further information please go to http://www.theinformationstandard.org

About psoriasis

Psoriasis is a skin disease which affects 1-2% of the UK population, 10-20% of these individuals develop psoriatic arthritis. For most people with psoriasis the condition can be mild and does not affect their lives, but about 20% (400,000) have severe disease which can be painful and causes some psychological impact.

PAPAA is an independently funded charity (no:1118192) and a leading supplier of free patient information, covering all aspects of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. PAPAA provides positive support and advice to people affected by psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

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[1] Results taken from a survey, conducted on behalf of The Information Standard scheme of 2100 people in England in November 2010.

    
               For further details and photographs please contact:
                                 David Chandler
                                +44(0)1923-672837
                       info@papaa.org http://www.papaa.org
                        http://www.psoriasis-shop.org
          Unit 3 Horseshoe Business Park | Lye Lane | Bricket Wood | St
                      Albans | Hertfordshire | AL2 3TA

SOURCE The Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Alliance