Our report is helping make health appointments more accessible

When people shared their experiences with us, they told us that getting the right support at health appointments was often harder than it should be.

Many said they weren't routinely asked if they needed extra support, had to repeat the same information every time they had an appointment, or found that staff didn't always know what help they needed.

Our report highlighted two key issues:

• 82% of people said they were not asked if they needed reasonable adjustments before their appointment.
• 86% said their support needs were not always recorded, meaning they often had to explain them again.

Reasonable adjustments are changes that help people access health care, such as longer appointments, information in different formats, quieter waiting areas or support from an interpreter.

We shared these experiences, along with recommendations based on what people told us. Since then, we've already seen action being taken.

What has happened since our report?

Our report has been shared with GP practices, hospitals and NHS leaders across Humber and North Yorkshire.

As a result, NHS organisations have committed to improving how they ask people about the support they need, how that information is recorded, and how it is shared between staff.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust has also said it will improve the way reasonable adjustments are identified and recorded, so people don't have to keep explaining their needs. It also plans to help staff feel more confident about putting reasonable adjustments in place and use patient feedback to keep improving.

The report has also been discussed by senior NHS leaders across Humber and North Yorkshire and shared with every GP practice and Primary Care Network manager in the region. It has also been shared with local MPs to help support improvements to health appointments.

Helping people avoid repeating themselves

One of the biggest issues people raised was having to explain their needs over and over again.

Following our report, work is now under way to improve the Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag.

This is a way of recording the support someone needs on their NHS record, so health and care staff can see it and people don't have to keep repeating the same information.

The NHS plans to:

• make the flag available through the Yorkshire and Humber Shared Care Record, so authorised health and care staff can securely access and update it
• help NHS organisations put the flag into practice
• raise awareness so more staff know about it and use it
• include the Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag and the Accessible Information Standard in future work to improve care
• link local work with national improvements.

The aim is for organisations to begin using the flag from September 2026. The NHS recognises that some organisations will need longer to introduce it, but this work is an important step towards making sure people receive the support they need more consistently.

See the changes in practice

People told us they wanted to be asked what support they needed, have that information recorded, and receive the right support without having to explain it every time.

These articles show some of the ways NHS organisations are beginning to make those changes.

• Making hospital care more accessible in Harrogate and Ripon
• Making hospital care more accessible in York and Scarborough
• Supporting people with autism in hospital: what’s changing on one ward
• Making GP appointments more accessible in Harrogate
• Making GP appointments more accessible in Easingwold

Thank you

Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences with us.

By taking the time to tell us what was happening, you've helped highlight the changes people want to see. Your experiences are already helping improve health appointments for people who need extra support.

We'll continue to work with NHS organisations to follow the progress being made and share further updates as more improvements are introduced.