The Accessible Information Standard – what you can expect from services

Advice and Information - 9 March 2022

The Accessible Information Standard is mandatory for all organisations that provide NHS services or adult social care. Here’s some key information about the accessible communications you should expect from services.

A partially-sighted person using a white stick stands on a pavement approaching some steps.

What does the standard do?

The standard aims to make sure that people who have a disability, impairment, or sensory loss get information in a way they can access and understand. It also covers any communication support they need from health and care services.

Organisations are required to provide alternative formats such as braille, large print, and easy read when people need this. They must also support people to communicate, for example by arranging a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter, deafblind manual interpreter or an advocate.

What do health and care organisations have to do?

Ask if you have any communication needs, and ask how these needs can be met.
Record your needs in a clear and set way and highlight these needs in your file or notes so people are aware and know how to meet them.
Share information about your communication needs with other providers of NHS and adult social care, when they have consent or permission to do so.
Deliver information to you in a way you can access and understand, with the option for communication support if needed.

What should you expect?

So, if you’re speaking to a dentist, doctor, care home manager or any other provider of health and social care, here’s what you can expect:

You should be able to contact, and be contacted by, services in accessible ways, for example via email or text message.
Information and correspondence should be given in formats you can read and understand, for example in audio, braille, easy read or large print.
You should be supported by a communications professional at appointments if this is needed to support conversation, for example, a British Sign Language interpreter.
Health and care staff and organisations should support you to communicate, for example, to lip-read or use a hearing aid.

What can you do if your communication needs are not met?

We know that not all services are fully compliant with the Accessible Information Standard.

If you do not receive information about our health and care in a format that suits you, you can:

Remind service staff that they have a legal duty to provide accessible information under the Accessible Information Standard.
Raise the issue with the organisation informally by talking to a service manager or using a hospital PALS service.
Make a formal complaint though the organisation's NHS complaints route. You can get support to make an NHS complaint from the Independent NHS Complaints Advocacy Service for people who live in Coventry.
Share your experience with us, your local Healthwatch, who will feed back to local services and decision-makers, as well as feed into Healthwatch England’s national work.

You can share your experiences with us on this online form