Healthwatch Derbyshire, the county’s health and social care watchdog, has praised local NHS services for its efforts to communicate with residents who are blind, deaf or have a learning disability but highlights that more still needs to be done
Derbyshire Community Health Services, Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust are among only a third of NHS organisations which reported that they are fully complying with their duties under the Accessible Information Standard, a legal requirement created by NHS England in 2016.
The standard requires that all publicly-funded health and social care providers identify, record, flag, share and meet the information and communication needs of those who use their services to ensure equal access to healthcare.
However, evidence from Healthwatch England shows that the statutory duty is being significantly compromised elsewhere and that its implementation in Derbyshire has been patchy. In response to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request, the local NHS trusts said that they were fully complying with the standard - placing them among only a third of trusts nationally (35%).
The Trusts said that they routinely:
- ask all patients whether they have any information or communication support needs, and finds out how to meet those needs,
- highlight in a patient’s notes that they have information or communication needs
- share this information with other providers of NHS and adult social care (when patients have given consent/permission)
Helen Henderson, chief executive of Healthwatch Derbyshire, welcomed the fact that the local Trusts were among only a third of health providers nationally to be meeting the standard but said that more still needed to be done.
She said: “Accessibility and communication play a key role in how we access and understand our health and helps patients to take control of their own healthcare and reduce inequalities.
“Whilst we value and recognise the work that our local Trusts have achieved, it is clear from ongoing patient and public feedback across Derbyshire that more needs to be done – particularly for those with autism, mental ill-health or memory issues.
“We continue to work closely with service commissioners and providers on this issue and would still like feedback from people about their experiences in accessing information and communication with health and social care providers in the county.
“This will enable us to highlight patient experiences and common themes to improve services for local people.”
Meanwhile, Healthwatch England has joined forces with leading disability organisations including RNIB, RNID, Mencap and SignHealth to call for stronger accountability for providing accessible information and communication support.
Sir Robert Francis QC, Chair of Healthwatch England explained that no one currently appeared responsibility or holding health and care services to account for breaching their legal duties under the standard.
He said: "Our findings show clear evidence of a failure to protect the right of our most vulnerable patients to accessible information and communication support through poor accountability across our health services.
“Health and services are legally required to follow the Accessible Information Standard, yet currently no one is effectively fulfilling their responsibility for holding them to account on how they put it into practice.
“People want clear, understandable information to enable them to make informed decisions about their health and care and get the most out of services.
“This research shows that health and care services with the newly created 42 integrated care systems must act to ensure no one is excluded from access to healthcare because of their communication needs. NHS England needs to hold health and care services to account in the implementation of the Accessible Information Standard to protect these rights.”
Healthwatch England and a coalition of charities, such as RNIB, RNID, Mencap and SignHealth have set out five headline recommendations ahead of the NHSE’s review of the Accessible Information Standard:
- Health and care services to be held accountable for fully delivering the standard.
- Every health and care service to have an accessibility champion.
- Better IT systems so that patients can update services with their communication needs.
- Involving people with communication needs in designing better services
- Mandatory training on accessible information for all health and care staff.
Healthwatch Derbyshire is joining forces with Healthwatch across England in running a Your Care, Your Way campaign calling for everyone to be given healthcare information in the way they need it.
For more information about how to get in touch with Healthwatch Derbyshire, please visit healthwatchderbyshire.co.uk, email enquiries @ healthwatchderbyshire.co.uk or call 01773 880786