Accessible information – your views (survey for patients)

Overview

NHS England’s main aim is to improve people’s health.  

We want to make sure that people can understand the information they are given about their health and care. We also want everyone to be able to get involved in decisions that affect them.

We know that some people need information in a different format, or help to communicate or explain what they think.

We are going to write a new guidebook for NHS and social care organisations across England, such as your doctor, hospital or council. The guidebook will be an ‘Information Standard’ which is a set of rules which organisations must follow.

The guidebook will tell organisations how they should make sure that patients, service users and carers can understand the information they are given. This includes making sure that people get information in different formats if they need it, for example in large print, email, Braille or Easy Words and Pictures.

The guidebook will also tell organisations how they should make sure that people get any support with communication that they need, for example through having a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter or an advocate with them.

We would like to know what you think before we write this guidebook.

If you use health and social care services now, we would also like to know if you get information in a format you can understand, and if you get support with communication if you need it. This will help us to see if our guidebook makes things better.

You can find out more information about this work and about other ways to have your say on our website www.england.nhs.uk/accessibleinfo

If you have a question about this work you can email us at england.nhs.participation@nhs.net or telephone 0113 8251324.

Thank you for helping us with this work.