Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of current measures and the compliance of the National Health Service in ensuring that all official paperwork and all types of communication are adapted appropriately for people with sensory disabilities.

The Department has not made any such assessment.

NHS England is committed to the development and implementation of a new information standard for accessible information and communication.

ISB 1605 Accessible Information aims to establish a consistent, standardised framework and approach to the identification and recording of the information and communication needs of patients, service users, carers and parents, where they relate to a disability, impairment or sensory loss; establish ‘flags’, alerts, prompts and other mechanisms to ensure that such needs are highly visible to appropriate staff; and set out clear expectations as to how such needs should be met, supported or addressed.

Final approval of the standard is scheduled for Spring 2016. Following the announcement, organisations are currently anticipated to have 12 months to achieve full compliance.