Making information more accessible
“It should be a standard question asked at the start of any process: ‘What is your preferred means of communication?’ Please do not assume.”
Many people are not getting information from GPs, hospitals, dentists, care providers and others in formats that meet their needs.
Last year, we launched our accessible information report. It shared the views and experiences of people who need information in different formats. It linked to the Accessible Information Standard – a legal requirement that health and care organisations ask people if they need information in a different format and then deliver on it. (You can read more about this here).
What did our report find?
We found that two thirds of our respondents had never been asked if they needed information in a different format. 59% had to rely on someone else to read information to them if it was sent in the wrong format. People said they were frustrated with the situation and felt their independence had been taken away.
The impact of our report
- York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust have undertaken work to implement improvements to its information provision. The Trust has put the implementation of the Accessible Information Standard as a key priority for the organisation over the next two years. The report is contributing to a project to update outpatient letters to produce letters in a person’s preferred format automatically. For example, a new system for outpatient letters (Synertec) will automatically create large print, Easy Read and other versions based on a person’s need.
- Harrogate District NHS Foundation Trust have agreed to put accessible information at the heart of their key priorities and confirmed that accessible information will be a priority in the Trust’s new patient experience strategy.
- The North Yorkshire Safeguarding Adults Board agreed to prioritise the implementation of our recommendations and support all partner organisations to fulfil the report’s principles.
- We are working with the Humber & North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership (the integrated care system) has committed to prioritising accessible information and we hope to work collaboratively together to make this happen. They have said their initial priority will be digital and website communication.
- Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust has implemented a project to strengthen its support and guidance for teams on Accessible Information. The project brought together existing information with new resources to ensure teams have the best possible guidance when creating patient information and providing alternative formats and translation. There is also training on recording people’s communications preferences and new information for staff on creating accessible information and material in other languages. At the June 2023 Whitby and District Patient and Carer Experience Forum the Trust gave a presentation updating on progress in regard to these actions.
- The Director of Public Health annual report (2021-22) for North Yorkshire included accessibility as a core feature of its communication recommendations.
What are the next steps?
1. This work has brought together existing information with new resources to ensure NHS staff have the best possible guidance when creating patient information and providing alternative formats and translation. There is also training on recording people’s communications preferences and new information for staff on creating accessible information and material in other languages.
2. North Yorkshire Safeguarding Adults Board is challenging members to improve provision of information in accessible formats, the City of York Council's Health and Wellbeing Board is doing the same and we are working with the integrated care system (Humber & North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership) to ensure accessible information is a priority for them too.
Looking to the future and keeping you updated
We want to work with GP practices. So let us know if you are getting information from your GP practice in your preferred format, so we can work collaboratively with them to bring about progress.
“The self advocates at KeyRing North Yorkshire were really happy to see an Easy Read version of a hospital letter and were excited to know that Scarborough and York are keen to make these changes!”
