We are working hard to ensure we are compliant with NHS England’s Accessible Information Standard (AIS). The AIS is a mandatory standard that directs a consistent approach to meeting communication needs of people who use services and carers who have a disability, impairment or sensory loss.

There are five important steps which need to be taken to ensure trusts are delivering the standard correctly:

  1. Ask people if they have any communication needs or need to be given information in a certain way.
  2. Make sure everyone’s needs are recorded in the same way and that they are easy to understand.
  3. Make it easy to see when a person has information or communication needs and how those needs can be met. This is so anyone who looks at their file can find this out.
  4. Share the information with other providers of NHS care and adult social care. This should only happen if they are allowed to see it.
  5. Make sure that people get information in a way they can access and understand. They should also get support with communication if they need it.

Our aim is to provide people with suitable support to improve the experiences of individuals with disability, impairment or a sensory loss.

For more information, visit the NHS England AIS website, which includes a number of information sheets to be downloaded.