Accessible Information Standard

From July 2016, all organisations providing publicly funded adult social care are legally required to follow the Accessible Information Standard. The standard makes sure that people with a disability, impairment or sensory loss (and carers or parents) can access and understand information and get communication support.

Overview of the standard

NHS England and the charity Sense have created a step-by-step video overview of the standard. The video has subtitles and British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation.

For more information and guidance on the standard, you can visit NHS England's Accessible Information Standard webpage.

What is not included in the standard

There are some things that are not covered by the standard.

For a full list of exclusions, see the 'activities beyond the scope of the standard' section of the Accessible Information Standard.

What we will do

To meet the standard, we will:

• identify (ask) if you have any information or communication needs, and find out how these needs can be met
• record details of your needs and how to meet them clearly on your social care records
• highlight (flag) your communication needs, so whoever looks at your record will be aware of your needs and how these should be met
• share information about your needs, where appropriate, with other NHS and adult social care providers, when we have consent or permission to do so
• do what we can to meet your communication needs

We have an  Accessible Information Policy [330KB] , which describes how we comply with the standard. We also have an  Easy Read version of the policy [472KB] .

If we have not met your communication needs

If you feel we have not met your communication needs please tell us using the options listed on our Adult Social Care complaints and feedback page.