The Patient Information Forum (PIF) is becoming a charity.
The Charity Commission registered PIF as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) in July 2023.
This is the culmination of a year of work by the team and trustees to submit a successful application.
PIF chair Sue Farrington said: "PIF has just marked the close of its 25th anniversary year and over these years the organisation has evolved and grown significantly.
"At the start we were a small group of health information professionals, now we are a body of more than 1,500 members.
"The change in status is a mark of PIF’s maturity as an organisation."
PIF's charitable objects
Charitable status will help make PIF more sustainable and give us the potential to access new sources of funding.
Our new charitable objects align to our existing vision. They are:
To advance health in particular but not exclusively by:
(i) setting high standards for health information for the public and patients to use;
(ii) providing guidance, training and support to health professionals and others producing high quality health information; and promoting awareness of high standards for health information among patients and the public.
The objects will focus activity on public benefit via supportive member services.
The existing PIF Board have become trustees of the new organisation to ensure a smooth transition.
It will take time to move to the new organisational structure but we aim to complete the process this calendar year.
The team will contact members about the transition process in early September.