Psoriasis Charity Gets Certification

ST ALBANS, England, May 31, 2011 -

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
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 www.papaa.org
                        www.psoriasis-shop.org
          Unit 3 Horseshoe Business Park | Lye Lane | Bricket Wood | St
                      Albans | Hertfordshire | AL2 3TA

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