Accessible Information Standards
We want to enable clear communication with our patients. We want to make sure you can read and understand the information we send you.
If you find it hard to read our letters please let us know so that we can provide information in large print or easy read format. If you need someone to support you at appointments please let us know.
We can arrange an interpreter for translation and access to a British Sign Language interpreter.
Please inform the receptionist when making your appointment if you will require any of the above services.
Website Accessibility
Our website has been designed and built with accessibility in mind, and following the recommendations set out in the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/).
Our website scores highly on the online WebAccessibility/Level Access tests.
Please see the PDF information leaflet in the viewer below. To view the original accessible PDF in a new browser window, please click here.
Click here to watch the VIDEO about the NHS Accessible Information Standard – Overview 2017/2018
Link to NHS ENGLAND LINK TO ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION STANDARDS website
CQC Advice
All providers of NHS care or other publicly-funded adult social care must meet the Accessible Information Standard (AIS).
AIS applies to people who use a service and have information or communication needs because of a:
- disability
- impairment
- sensory loss
It covers the needs of people who are deaf/Deaf, blind, or deafblind, or who have a learning disability. This includes interpretation or translation for people whose first language is British Sign Language. It does not cover these needs for other languages.
It can also be used to support people who have aphasia, autism or a mental health condition which affects their ability to communicate.
When appropriate, AIS also applies to their carers and parents.
You must meet the AIS for anyone who is publicly funded and who uses your services. This applies to all:
- adult social care services
- hospitals
- GP practices
- dentists
- other services
unless no one using the service is publicly funded.
Websites are not covered by AIS.
Services which do not need to follow AIS:
- must still make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010
- may wish to use a similar approach when identifying and meeting people’s information needs
Five steps of AIS
Identify
How does the service assess for disability related information or communication needs? How does the service find out if people have any of these needs? How does the service plan how it will meet those needs?
Record
How does the service record those identified needs clearly? What systems are in place as part of the assessment and care planning process?
Flag
How does the service highlight or flag people’s information and communication needs in their records? This could be in paper or electronic records. The chosen method must make it possible for all staff to quickly and easily be aware of (and work to meet) those needs.
Share
Services sometimes need to share details of people’s information and communication needs with other health and social care services. This means that other services can also respond to the person’s information and communication needs.
How does the service do this (when they have consent to do so)?
Meet
How does the service make sure it meets people’s needs? How does the service make sure that people receive information which they can access and understand? How does the service arrange communication support if people need it?
For example, patients and people using a service should:
- be able to contact (and be contacted by) services in accessible ways, such as via email, text message or Text Relay
- receive information and correspondence in formats they can read and understand. This could be, for example, in audio, braille, easy read or large print
- be supported by a communication professional at appointments if needed to support conversation. This could be a British Sign Language interpreter
- get support from health and care staff and organisations to communicate. This could include help to lip-read or use a hearing aid