All organisations that provide NHS or adult social care must follow the Accessible Information Standard by law. This is explained in Section 250 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.
Aim:
The Accessible Information Standard aims to make sure that disabled people have access to information that they can understand and any communication support they might need.
Accessible information- information which is able to be read or received and understood by the individual for which it is intended
Communication support - support which is needed to enable effective, accurate dialogue between a professional and a service user to take place
The practice must make information accessible to the following people:
- Their carers and parents.
This includes making sure that people get information in different formats if they need it, such as:
• Large print
• Braille
• Easy read
• Via email.
The Accessible Information Standard also tells organisations how to support people’s communication needs, for example by offering support from a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter, deafblind manual interpreter or an advocate.
What does the Accessible Information Standard tell organisations to do?
As part of the Accessible Information Standard, organisations that provide NHS or adult social care must do five things.
They must:
- Ask people if they have any information or communication needs, and find out how to meet their needs.
- Record those needs in a set way.
- Highlight a person’s file, so it is clear that they have information or communication needs, and clearly explain how those needs should be met.
- Share information about a person’s needs with other NHS and adult social care providers, when they have consent or permission to do so.
- Make sure that people get information in an accessible way and communication support if they need it.
Who must follow the Accessible Information Standard?
All organisations that provide NHS or adult social care must follow the standard