Healthcare professionals should help patients build up the knowledge and skills to take a more active role in looking after their health, according to consumer campaigners.

The National Consumer Council (NCC) said today that the only way to close the gap in healthcare inequalities between rich and poor was to improve people's confidence to manage their own health.

The council has also discovered that there are health inequalities within the most affluent social groups, as well as between rich and poor, with many well-off patients failing to play an active role in their healthcare.

The NCC called for action from the government and NHS workers to help educate patients and enable them to make informed choices about their healthcare.

Ed Mayo, the chief executive of the NCC, said: "When we asked people how interested and involved they were in their own health, and how they go about getting information about health problems, we were surprised to discover that even among higher income groups there is a sizeable health literacy gap."

He said their research had shown that those in the highest social groups were more likely to read medicine information leaflets (27%) than those who were less well off (12%).

The richest were also more likely to ask their GP questions - 45% compared to 35% - and search the internet for information about their health - 39% compared to 16%, according to the poll of 2,000 adults.

"But that still leaves more than half the better off - and the majority of the worst off - failing to seek out more information about their health," Mr Mayo said.

The report, funded by the Department of Health (DoH), said that one in five individuals - amounting to around seven million people - had problems with basic skills, making them unable to understand and interpret basic information that could lead to better health.

The NCC said many people underestimated their need for help and felt there was a stigma attached to asking for assistance. It also highlighted situations where health professionals put up barriers which stopped patients getting information, such as appearing too busy to answer questions or doing so in an incomprehensible way.

Mr Mayo said: "Building health literacy isn't only about changing the mindset of a population trapped by their respect for and deference to health professionals.

"It also means a more user-focused approach from the NHS - making information available in plain language, when and how patients want it. Bilingual staff and trained interpreters must be on hand for people with limited English."

The report comes a month after the government announced plans to increase patient choice in the health service and give patients a greater say over when and where they are treated.

The NCC recommends that the government carry out research to measure the impact of poor health literacy on access to healthcare. It said that patients should be given support in navigating the NHS so they do not get lost in the "maze" of organisations, systems and professions.

The health secretary, John Reid, said: "The government is committed to reducing health inequalities, and to achieve this we must widen choice beyond the better off, beyond those who have traditionally had better knowledge and more information."