Alongside our colleagues at other Disability and Accessibility organisations, we have written a letter to NHS England to express our disappointment at the lack of progress in reviewing the legally-binding Accessible Information Standard.
The Accessible Information Standard aims to make sure that people who have a disability, impairment or sensory loss get information that they can access and understand and any communication support that they need from health and care services. The Standard is legally binding and tells organisations how to ensure that patients, service users, their carers and parents can access and understand the information they are given. This includes making sure that people get information in accessible formats.
With little progress being made, we’ve written publicly to NHS England, calling on them to publish the review of the AIS and clarify how they will take forward its recommendations.
Our letter signed by Healthwatch England, Disability Rights UK, Mencap, Learning Disability England, National Voices, SignHealth, SeeAbility, Thomas Pocklington Trust and the RNIB said: “Our research has shown that in many areas people are not receiving the communication support they need, and even where services have good processes in place for identifying people’s support needs, these are not consistently met.”
You can read the full letter as a PDF on the Healthwatch website.
Kamran Mallick, CEO of Disability Rights UK said:
“Accessible information standards in healthcare are a fundamental right that must be met. Without them, Disabled people continue to face barriers to fully participating in their own care and may be denied the proper information and support they need to make informed decisions about their health.
Inaccessible information can lead to misunderstandings, misdiagnoses, and a lack of trust in the system, making it imperative that accessibility is a priority. Only then can the NHS truly be inclusive for all, providing equitable and quality care to everyone who needs it.”