Accessible information standard (AIS) for GP practices

The Accessible Information Standard (AIS) directs and defines a specific, consistent approach to identifying, recording, flagging, sharing and meeting the additional communication and information needs of patients, service users, carers and parents.

The term "people with additional communication and information needs" is used to refer to the following:

• people who are D/deaf, deafened or hard of hearing, and British Sign Language (BSL) signers (it is important to also note the linguistic differences between the Deaf BSL signing community, and those who are deaf, deafened, or hard of hearing)
• people who are blind or partially sighted
• people who are deafblind
• people who have language and communication access barriers arising from disability (including dementia, learning difficulties and mental health conditions)
• people who have language and communication barriers arising from neurodivergence
• people who have language and communication barriers arising from low literacy
• parents and carers who experience language or communication barriers
• people whose preferred language is not English or Welsh (including people seeking sanctuary, refugees and migrants)

The standard ensures that patients with additional communication and information must have access to information that they can understand. For example:

• easy read
• large print
• Braille
• via email
• British Sign Language (BSL)

As well as any communication support they may require. For example, by providing interpretation from a registered BSL interpreter or any other community language interpreter.

The standard applies to all providers across NHS Wales whose systems currently support the capturing of this information and specifically to GP surgeries in primary care.

The accessible information standard enables you to:

• ask: identify patients and their family members or carers who have additional communication or information needs and, if so, what they are
• record: record those needs in a standardised way
• alert: ensure that a patient's needs are highly visible when their record is accessed and where required, prompt for action
• share: include information about a patient's needs with other NHS organisations where systems are enabled to do so (which includes following existing information governance frameworks)
• act: ensure patients receive information, which is accessible, that they can understand it and that they receive the appropriate communication support if they need it

The aim of the standard is to establish a framework and set a clear direction so that patients and service users (and where appropriate carers and parents) who have additional communication and information needs receive:

• accessible information: information which is able to be read or received and understood by the individual or group for which it is intended
• communication support: support which is needed to enable effective, accurate dialogue between a professional and a service user to take place

So that they can access NHS Wales services appropriately and independently and make informed decisions about their health, well-being, care and treatment.

This is a revision of the original AIS, therefore it should be expected that GP practices are already undertaking this work for patients with sensory loss. It is now expected that all GP practices now broaden the scope of the AIS to include all that are included within the scope of having additional communication and information needs.