Www.england.nhs.uk The Accessible Information Standard Lucy Rogers Project Manager Implementation of the Accessible Information Standard.

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The Accessible Information Standard

Lucy Rogers

Project Manager

Implementation of the Accessible Information Standard

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• With partners, NHS England has developed a new ‘Accessible Information Standard’ (SCCI1605 Accessible Information).

• The Standard provides direction to the health and care system around accessible information and communication support for patients, service users, carers and parents with a disability, impairment or sensory loss.

Background and Scope

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• The Equality Act 2010 places a legal duty on all service providers to make “reasonable adjustments” to support disabled people, including providing information in “an accessible format”.

• Service users with communication needs often receive inaccessible information and are not provided with the communication support they need. This has implications for patient choice, safety, and experience.

Why do we need a new Standard?

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The Standard applies to service providers across the NHS and adult social care system, and effective implementation will require such organisations to make changes to:

• Policy• Procedure • Human behaviour• Electronic systems

Implementing the standard

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• Make decisions about their health and wellbeing, and about their care and treatment.

• Self-manage conditions. • Access services appropriately and independently.• Make choices about treatments and procedures

including the provision or withholding of consent.

Expected benefits resulting from implementation

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The Standard sets out a consistent approach to:

• Identify

• Record

• Flag

• Share

• Meet communication needs of users.

The Process

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• Requires specific contact method – telephone, email, text, text-relay.

• Requires specific information format - braille, large font, easy-read- audio, communication chart.

• Requires communication professional – BSL interpreter, note taker, STTR.

• Requires communication support – advocate.

4 subsections

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• Gladys is 87 years old and lives in a nursing home. She has some hearing loss and has dementia.

• Recognising that both conditions are likely to increasingly impact upon Gladys ability to communicate in the future, staff at the nursing home design a communication chart to support Gladys in understanding important parts of her routine, eg daily activities and meal times.

• Members of staff at the nursing home have received training in developing and using communication charts

Case Study

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• When the GP visits the care home to give Gladys a

check up, one of the care home staff support

Gladys to understand what is being said,

using the chart.

• Gladys records indicate that’s she uses a communication device.

Case Study

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As a result of the Standard, patients, service

users, carers and parents should:

• Be able to make contact with, and be contacted

by, services in accessible ways.

• Receive correspondence and information in

accessible formats, including alternatives to

‘standard’ printed English.

Impact of the standard

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As a result of the Standard, patients, service

users, carers and parents should:

• Be supported by a communication

professional at their appointments

if this is needed to enable effective,

accurate two-way discussion.

• Receive support from health and care staff

and organisations to support effective

communication.

Impact of the standard

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The Accessible Information Standard quick overview.There are five basic steps which make up the Accessible Information Standard:

• Ask: identify / find out if an individual has any communication / information needs relating to a disability or sensory loss and if so what they are.

• Record: record those needs in a clear, unambiguous and standardised way in electronic and / or paper based record / administrative systems / documents.

• Alert / flag / highlight: ensure that recorded needs are ‘highly visible’ whenever the individuals’ record is accessed, and prompt for action.

• Share: include information about individuals’ information / communication needs as part of existing data sharing processes (and following existing information governance frameworks).

• Act: take steps to ensure that individuals receive information which they can access and understand, and receive communication support if they need it.

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Aim of the Standard

The aim of the Standard is to establish a framework and set a clear direction such that patients and service users who have information or communication needs relating to a disability, impairment or sensory loss receive:

• ‘Accessible information’ (‘information which is able to be read or received and understood by the individual or group for which it is intended’); and

• ‘Communication support’ (‘support which is needed to enable effective, accurate dialogue between a professional and a service user to take place’);

So that they can access services appropriately and independently, and make decisions about their health, wellbeing, care and treatment.

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• The Standard was approved in June 2015 and

published on 3 July 2015.

• Compliance with the Standard is mandatory for all

organisations that provide NHS or adult social care.

• There is a 12 month implementation period –full

compliance is required by 31 July 2016.

• There are three other milestones in advance of 31 July

2016, including that organisations must have

developed a plan for implementation by 1 September

2015.

Timescales and requirements

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How can I find out more and further help?

• Sign-up to receive updates about this work and / or find out more at www.england.nhs.uk/accessibleinfo

• Please email [email protected] with queries or to request documents in alternative formats.

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