The Delivery of the Accessible Information Standard in South West London GP Practices

 A short NHS England video describing AIS is available.

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 practice 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.

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.