Accessible Information Standards
What are the Accessible Information Standard?
The Accessible Information Standard (AIS) aims to make health and social care information accessible to those with additional communication needs.
From 1 August 2016 onwards, all organisations that provide NHS care and/or publicly-funded adult social care are legally required to follow the Accessible Information Standard. The Standard sets out a specific, consistent approach to identifying, recording, flagging, sharing and meeting the information and communication support needs of patients, service users, carers and parents with a disability, impairment or sensory loss.
The AIS Working Group
The AIS Working Group is funded by the Health Inequalities programme, and is committed to implementing AIS across the partnership. They are currently focused on four priority areas:
1. Access to BSL and other interpreting services
2. Accessible communications
3. Deaf awareness and training
4. Use of flagging systems in primary care
The AIS Working Group includes representatives for clinical pathway leads, primary care, Public Health, Healthwatch Redbridge, NEL ICB Comms, Sensory Specialists, other council services and secondary care to plan and implement improvements. The programme will be implemented in two phases, with Phase 1 focusing on Deaf residents and BSL users, and Phase 2 expanding this to residents with learning difficulties and other sensory needs.