Making health and social care information accessible: A response by third sector organisations in East Sussex
Download (PDF 386.44 KB)Summary of report content
Healthwatch East Sussex and other third sector organisation across East Sussex respond to NHS England's Making health and social care information accessible’.
All respondents agreed with the vision for the standard that disabled people should be given information that they can understand and communication support if they need it.
Some organisations felt that the scope needed to be broadened to include other organisations funded by government and it should also focus on people with mental health problems, those who have low literacy levels, those who don't speak English and people with cognitive impairments.
Concern was expressed by several of the organisations consulted about the resource implications for organisations of implementing the standard and the need for such a diverse range of formats, although they felt they were generally well equipped to provide information in appropriate formats relating to the disability which they supported.
There were mixed views about the need for qualifications for interpreters and the ban on using family and friends as interpreters. While in principle, several of the organisations agreed that qualified interpreters were preferable, they stressed that it should, in part, depend on the individual needs of the patient or service user.
Concern was expressed about the impact of implementing the standard, particularly for smaller organisations. Another questioned who was going to monitor the CQC as in their view they currently do not provide easy read versions of reports or in other formats.
There was also great concern about how third sector organisations, particularly small ones, will be able to implement the standard properly without additional resources and funding. Finally, many organisations felt that standards in communication need to be linked to staff training and work practices in order for them to be completely effective in enabling people with particular or special needs to access services.