The Delivery of the Accessible Information Standard in South West London GP Practices: What We Found
Understanding the Accessible Information Standard
The Accessible Information Standard (AIS) helps health and care services meet the needs of patients and carers with communication needs. This includes individuals with sensory loss, neurological conditions, neurodiversity, and learning disabilities. AIS requires service providers to identify, record, flag, share, and meet patients' communication needs to ensure fair healthcare access.
Why We Did This Work and Who We Worked With
We worked closely with the South West London Integrated Care Board to identify a project that could make a difference to people. They provided funding for this project through the Integrated Care Partnership Innovation Fund.
South West London Healthwatch engaged patients, carers of patients, and GP staff to understand how well GP practices deliver the AIS, and the barriers and enablers to delivery.
We worked closely with our steering group, who provided consultation support at all stages of this project informed by their personal lived experience or their experience supporting people with disabilities. Our steering group members included representatives from the South London Partnership, Signhealth, Merton Vision, The Baked Beans Charity, Integrated Neurological Services, and Express CIC. Other voluntary sectors worked with us to host focus groups and to share our survey.
We Spoke to:
- 144 patients and carers, who shared their experiences through surveys, focus groups, and interviews.
- 82 GP staff members, who completed surveys and had discussions about how they use the AIS. Respondents included both clinical and non-clinical staff.
Key Findings
- Lack of Awareness – 73% of patients and carers did not know about the AIS.
- Inconsistent Recording of Communication Needs – While some patients had positive experiences, many reported having to repeat their communication needs at each visit.
- Reliance on Family or Charities – Many patients relied on carers, family members, or charities to navigate GP communication, raising concerns about independence, privacy, and accessibility.
- Challenges for GP Staff – Staff highlighted issues with effectively flagging communication needs in medical records due to system limitations. Some reported a need for more training, resources, and support.
- BSL Interpretation Barriers – Patients using British Sign Language (BSL) faced delays in getting an appointment, due to delays in booking interpreters.
Key Recommendations
- Awareness of the AIS is low among patients and carers. Healthwatch, voluntary sector organisations, and others should support communication campaigns to inform people of their rights.
- GP staff requested clear, standardised communication resources (e.g., easy read materials, BSL videos) from South West London Integrated Care Board.
- The new BSL interpretation service introduced in October 2024 (after we conducted this research) should be evaluated based on the experiences of people who use BSL.
- A new reasonable adjustments flagging system in EMIS was introduced in December 2024, and its impact on improving patient communication should be assessed.
- Regular disability equality and Accessible Information Standard training for GP staff can improve patient communication and accessibility.
- GP practices should create an environment where patients know longer appointments are available and can express their wishes for one.
- Deaf and hard-of-hearing patients often must follow up on BSL interpreter bookings, and providing timely updates can help reduce this extra burden.
Our report also includes a list of other suggested best for further consideration based on our engagement.
Implementing the Recommendations
We have created a community of practice, whose representatives include people with lived experience, voluntary sector, Integrated Care Board, and GP practice staff representatives to discuss how to deliver the recommendations.
Our staff are also bringing these recommendations to GP practice staff across South West London.
The results from this project have been discussed with the South West London Integrated Care Board, and they will be providing a response to the recommendations shortly.
About South West London Healthwatch
South West London Healthwatch is a collaborative of six independent Healthwatch organisations (Healthwatch Croydon, Merton, Kingston-upon-Thames, Richmondupon-Thames, Sutton, and Wandsworth).
Since 2022, they have collaborated to gather insights across the Integrated Care System’s footprint in South West London, to ensure that people have a voice in NHS decision-making. The lead officers of each of these organisations played a consultative role on this project.
- Healthwatch Kingston
- Healthwatch Croydon
- Healthwatch Merton
- Healthwatch Richmond
- Healthwatch Wandsworth
- Healthwatch Sutton
Additional Findings
Including Communities
The 'Including Communities' engagement report highlights Healthwatch Kingston's work with vulnerable and seldom-heard communities to understand their experiences with local health and social care services. Findings emphasised the need for better accessibility, cultural sensitivity, and a better understanding of the diverse needs of local communities.
Including Communities: Engagement Report
Including Digitally Excluded Communities
The 'Including Digitally Excluded Communities' report details Healthwatch Kingston’s engagement with 137 digitally excluded individuals, highlighting how they access health and social care services.
Listening to digitally excluded communities, we heard about the need for personalised, face-to-face outreach and the importance of providing accessible information, including Plain English and audio formats, to ensure meaningful engagement. Key recommendations focus on improving accessibility, communication, and support for digitally excluded groups in Kingston.
Coming Soon
A BSL version of the full report will be published on this webpage soon. We will also publish periodic updates on progress made towards the recommendations.
