Accessible Information Standard

The Accessible Information Standard aims to ensure that people with disabilities have access to information that they can understand, for example in large print, Braille or via email, and any communication support they may require, for example by offering support from a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter.

The standard requires organisations to:

• Ask - Identify patients who have communication or information needs relating to a disability or sensory loss and, if so, what they are.

• Record - Record those needs in a standardised way.

• Alerts - Ensure that a patient's needs are highly visible when accessing their record and where required, prompt for action.

• Share - Include information about a patient's needs with other NHS and adult social care organisations (which includes following existing information governance frameworks).

• Act - Ensure patients receive information which is accessible, that they can understand it and that they receive the appropriate communication support if they need it.

Using the Accessible Information Standard pathway, you can:

• View patients that have, or may require, specific communication preferences and needs from the Alert screen, see Accessing the Accessible Information Standard Template from the Alert Screen for details.

• Open the Clinical Template to easily add appropriate clinical terms to a patient's record, see Accessing the Accessible Information Standard Clinical Template for details.

• Run a Practice Report to view patients in your practice that have, or may require, specific communication preferences and needs, see Running the Accessible Information Standard Practice Report for details.