NHS Accessible Information Standard

The Accessible Information Standard is a requirement to make sure that people who have a disability, impairment or sensory loss are given information they can easily read or understand. It is about making information easier to understand for people living with communication and information needs.

Examples of the types of support that might be required include audio, large print, Easy Read, braille or using a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter.

All healthcare professionals at the Trust must identify and record information and communication needs with patients and service users:

• At the first interaction or registration with their service
• As part of on-going routine interaction with the service by existing patients and service users.

How do we comply with the standard?

As part of the accessible information standard, healthcare staff who interact with service users or patients must do five things:

1. Ask people if they have any information or communication needs, and find out how to meet their needs.
2. Record those needs clearly and in a set way.
3. Highlight or ‘flag’ the person’s file or notes so it is clear that they have information or communication needs and how those needs should be met.
4. Share information about people’s information and communication needs with other providers of NHS and adult social care, when they have consent or permission to do so.
5. Take steps to ensure that people receive information which they can access and understand, and receive communication support if they need it.

Accessible standard working group 

As part of the Trust review into the accessible information standard a working group was developed in 2021 to look at how we can make improvements for our patients.  As part of this we have:

• Listened to patients with access and communication requirements and learned from their experiences
• Developed patient case studies
• Invited patients inform our work through membership in meetings and using lived experiences within training materials
• Shared details of the progress with our Executive and Board
• Liaised with partner Trusts to learn from their experiences
• Worked with RNIB and DeafLink to inform the work

The working group will continue to meet and next steps include adapting our patient records system, wider roll out of training and developing further patient engagement opportunities.

Interpreter services

We have in place an interpreting and translation service for patients which could be a face-to-face interpreter, a conference telephone call to confirm your appointments or as a translated text document into alternative formats.

We have access to many languages the top three language used in our Trust in 2021/ 2022 are:

• Bengali
• Arabic
• Kurdish

Our provider, Everyday Language Solutions also offers British Sign Language support and training for staff on working with interpreters for the benefit of patients and staff.

If you need an interpreter, please contact the person who has sent you the appointment letter, as they will need arrange.

If any STSFT teams would like training from Everyday Language Solutions please contact:

• Web: www.everydaylanguagesolutions.co.uk
• Email: info@everydaylanguagesolutions.co.uk
• Telephone: 01642-603203 Fax: 01642-603403
• Out of Hours - Emergency Number (only to be used in the case of an emergency interpretation) 07831356809 

Resources and useful information

If you have a specific communication need, please contact the service under which you are being treated and request the required format.  Please also ask for your patient record to be updated to reflect your access/ communication needs.

Everyday Language Solutions Professional User Guide- ELS Professional User Guide

In late 2021, a coalition of charities surveyed NHS and social care professionals in England, as well as disabled people who have accessible information and communication needs, about the NHS Accessible Information Standard (AIS). More than 900 people gave responses. The report can be found in multiple formats here: Review of the NHS Accessible Information Standard - SignHealth

The Public Participation Team at NHS England and NHS Improvement worked with the charity Sense to develop an animated video which explains the Accessible Information Standard. The video is supported by British Sign Language interpretation too. It’s available from the Accessible Information Standard webpages and directly on YouTube.

For more information on the standard can be accessed via the NHS England Website: https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/patients/accessibleinfo/

Charities including Action on Hearing Loss, CHANGE, Sense, and the Royal National Institute of Blind people (RNIB) have also published useful information.