We only use trustworthy sources for all the information about diseases and healthcare we share on our website. At Meningitis Now, we have a team of medical experts who check our information to ensure it’s accurate and reliable.
This includes:
- Our in-house nurses: Claire Donovan, Caroline Lyons, and Vicky Preece
- Our Medical Director: Simon Kroll
- Peer reviewers: Qualified health professionals who help evaluate our content
- External Experts: Researchers, Clinicians and Scientists we collaborate with and our Scientific and Medical Advisory panel
Together, they help us provide clear and valuable information about meningitis and related health topics.
PIF Tick
Meningitis Now proudly earned the PIF TICK accreditation in January 2025. This certification means our process for creating information about diseases meets important quality standards. It ensures that any healthcare information we provide is both accurate and reliable.
With the PIF TICK logo, we can show that our digital and printed materials have undergone independent review and meet the high standards of our information creation process. Being accredited with the PIF TICK means our health information is based on solid evidence, is updated regularly, and is easy for everyone to understand.
Our goal is to make sure the public and the people we support can trust the information we provide. We rely on professional guidelines and best practices to maintain our commitment to delivering content that is accurate and dependable when sharing information about diseases and healthcare.
Our research process
As members of the Public Information Forum (PIF), we maintain high standards for the health information we produce. This ensures that the information we provide is trustworthy and reliable.
We have a thorough process for creating our health resources, making sure they are easily accessible to everyone who needs support, including those who reach out to our nurse-led Helpline. We pay attention to health and digital literacy, meaning we use clear and inclusive language throughout our materials.
Our resources are free from complicated jargon, kept up to date, and provide information backed by evidence. Understanding that the average reading level in the UK is about 9 years old, we aim to write our disease information for readers aged 9 to 11, with a maximum reading level of 13 years.
We make sure our information about meningitis is simple and easy to understand while preserving the essential meaning. When we need to use medical terms, we provide clear explanations to help our supporters understand what they might hear during hospital visits, appointments with their doctors, or discussions with other healthcare professionals.
Our review process
We make sure to use accurate and current information, relying on trusted resources such as the NHS, public health agencies, and research conducted by our own team. Our information comes from experts, including our Medical Director and Scientific and Medical Advisory panel and through relationships with other experts in the field of meningitis. To gather reliable data and statistics, we turn to well-respected organisations, such as:
- The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and its counterparts in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland for disease statistics
- The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for best practice guidelines
- World Health Organization (WHO) - Meningitis Now supports WHO’s initiative to eradicate meningitis by 2030
- Official NHS websites for health information
- Research articles that have undergone peer review
- Our own surveys, like the Picker survey on meningitis follow-up and aftercare
- Thoughts and insights from medical professionals and researchers we work with
We also encourage feedback on our materials from the individuals we support through our Helpline, website, and social media.
This input, along with reviews from our Medical Director and external experts, helps ensure that our disease information meets the needs of the people we support.
You can read more about our findings sources of evidence here.
The authors behind our content
The Helpline and Information Nurse team are responsible for reviewing and creating new disease information across all charity communications.
Our confidential, nurse-led Helpline is here to provide information and emotional support, answer your questions and explain more about the support that Meningitis Now can provide.
Our qualified in-house Helpline nurses are Claire Donovan, Caroline Lyons, and Vicky Preece. Head to Meet our Helpline nurses page to learn more about the team and their roles.
