Your Care Your Way-Meeting Communication Needs
To support Healthwatch England’s Your Care Your Way Campaign, we gathered experiences of people locally, raised awareness of the standard within the local community and shined a spotlight on the impact of communication needs not being met.
We heard from a range of people with communication needs, their families and carers, receiving suggestions to improve communication and the way information can be provided.
- Consider print size on letters
- Displaying patients’ names on a screen when they are called up for an appointment
- The choice to have information provided via face-to-face appointment
- Slightly longer appointment times for those with communication needs
- Staff knowledge of who in the room to provide information to, and what level of detail is appropriate
Recommendations for Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Integrated Care System:
- Work to raise awareness of the NHS Accessible Information Standard to help ensure both service users, carers and staff are aware of their rights
- Ensure it is standard practice to ask people about their communication needs
- Ensure that carers are asked about their communication needs and are fully supported in their caring role
- Direct people to clear information about the NHS Accessible Information Standard that is all in one place including links to relevant support services/groups (e.g. webpage)
- Consider the impact on the mental health and wellbeing of people and their carers when they are unable to understand information from health and social care services
- Recognise that access to information digitally (e.g. websites, social media, email, text messages) is not an appropriate option or available for everyone
Full Report
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If you need this report in a different format please contact us:
enquiries@healthwatchshropshire.co.uk
01743 237884
