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NHS England consulting on new Accessible Information Standard

NHS England is consulting on a new standard to improve access to information formats such as ‘easy read’, braille and British Sign Language interpreters across the health sector.

Under the proposed Accessible Information Standard it would mean health organisations, including hospitals, GPs and all NHS and adult social services providers, would need to find out if a patient has extra communication needs because of a disability or sensory loss, and take steps to meet those needs.

Luke O’Shea, NHS England’s head of patient participation, said: “Giving good information and advice is the lifeblood of the NHS. For certain groups of patients this needs to be provided in alternative formats, such as sending an email rather than offering printed advice, so it can be read by voice software.

“Many organisations already have good arrangements in place for patients with additional communication needs but the ‘Accessible Information Standard’ will bring clarity and consistency as well as improving quality.”

Health organisations should already be providing information in alternative formats for patients, but this is the first time a national standard will be introduced.

Under the proposals, there will be a list of types of communication support and information format which organisations will need to use to ensure everyone records things in the same way. The proposed list forms part of the consultation.

The guide also states organisations should ask people if they have any information or communication needs when they see them for the first time.

The draft standard will be considered for approval by the Standardisation Committee for Care Information (SCCI) in August and the aim is for it to be approved in spring 2015, following which it is currently proposed that organisations will have 12 months to comply, although this is also part of consultation. The consultation closes on 9 November 2014.

Amanda Casson-Webb, director of communication services and community development at the Royal Association for Deaf people, told NHE: “We’ve had some input along the process, and we’re really pleased that we’ve been able to help  in terms of deaf community involvement with regards to the standard, and that the views and experiences of deaf people have been considered. This has been fantastic. 

“But while we welcome the standard, we also think its success is dependent on it being rolled out to frontline staff. Training and educating staff on the needs of deaf people, and how to book interpreters, all has to be considered. The standard is great but the challenge is about putting it into practice.” 

Natalie Doig, Royal National Institute of Blind People Campaigns Officer, told us that the standard is vital and the organisation welcomes it. 

“For more than 10 years we've been campaigning for the NHS to give blind and partially sighted patients information they can personally read,” she said. “Despite the Equality Act 2010 requiring the NHS to make confidential and general health information accessible to blind and partially sighted people, most still aren't given it, miss out on it or are forced to get someone to read it aloud to them.” 

The RNIB added that it believes the NHS has finally taken a major step towards fixing this problem and encourages anyone with sight difficulties to use the public consultation to say what they need. 

The British Deaf Association stated that it fully supports initiatives that improve access by deaf and British Sign Language (BSL) users to the health sector, through the provision of BSL interpreters and deaf equality training by health care staff, enabling an effective and timely response. 

It added that research shows that due to the communication barrier in the past, 25% of deaf people avoid their GP altogether, which delays diagnosis and treatment. Many providers have never met a deaf BSL user before and so don't ask the right questions and miss information that could've led to a correct diagnosis.

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