The NHS Accessible Information Standard is a legal responsibility introduced on August 1 2016 which applies to all organisations that provide NHS care. 

The standard sets out how we can meet the information and communication support needs of patients, service users, carers and parents with a disability, impairment or sensory loss by:

  • Identifying
  • Recording
  • Flagging
  • Sharing

The Accessible Information Standard ensures that people who have a disability, impairment or sensory loss are given information they can easily read or understand. Support may include audio, large print, easy read, braille or using a British Sign Language (BSL) or other language interpreter.

All healthcare professionals at Frimley Health must acknowledge and record patients and service users communication needs:

  • 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.

Responsibilities under the standard:

As part of the Standard, healthcare workers 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 best to meet those needs.
  2. Record those needs clearly in their record and in a set way.
  3. Highlight the person’s record so it's clear that they have information or communication needs and how those needs should be met.
  4. Share information about people’s needs with the other providers of NHS and adult social care, when they have 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.

Interpreter services

We have interpreting and translation services in place for patients with additional needs for example a face-to-face language, British Sign Language / non-verbal interpreters, telephone interpreting and video interpreting.

More information on the Standard can be accessed on the NHS England website.