Realising the potential of the NHS Accessible Information Standard

The recent plea in The BMJ for greater awareness of deaf patients’ needs in the NHS is part of a much larger cultural shift required.12Since 2016 the NHS Accessible Information Standard (AIS) has been a legal requirement on all health and social care providers.3 They are obliged to follow five steps—to “identify, record, flag, share, and meet” the online and in-person needs of all patients with communication challenges. The AIS supports self-care, shared decision making, and involvement in public health programmes and enhances general participation in society.As a deaf-blind person, I engaged closely with NHS England as a patient adviser during the development of the AIS. I was delighted when it came into force and have worked since to promote its widespread adoption.Take-up has been slow. Shielding letters were issued in inaccessible formats during the covid pandemic, for example. The current five year AIS review shows continued widespread ignorance of…
Read Original Article: Realising the potential of the NHS Accessible Information Standard »