Meeting the Accessible Information Standard

Excellence Care will endeavour to support people who have identified needs to be involved in the development and review of their own care planning and support. We look at ways of ensuring that everyone is supported to understand in a way that suits their communication needs. This may be in the format of having a pictorial, audio, or braille support plan as an example.

Our Accessible Communication policy will ensure that systems and processes are in place for Excellence Care services to identify, record, flag, share and meet the information and communication needs for the people we support, their families and/or carers where those needs relate to a disability, impairment, or sensory loss. We will ensure that people are able to access our complaints policy and safeguarding policy in an appropriate format that reflects their level of understanding. Excellence Care is committed to implementing and following the five distinct steps of meeting the Accessible Information Standard (AIS) which are:
Identification of needs: a consistent approach to the identification of information and communication needs for the people we support, where they relate to a disability, impairment, or sensory needs.
Recording of needs: a consistent and routine recording of information and communication needs as part of our records or systems. The use of different categories of information and communication as defined by the AIS when recording information in paper or electronic records.
Flagging of needs: establishment and use of electronic flags or alerts, or paper- based equivalents, to ensure re communication and /or information needs are highly visible to prompt staff to take appropriate action and / or trigger auto-generation of information in an accessible format / other actions such needs can be met.
Sharing of needs: inclusion of recorded data about individuals’ information and / or communication support needs as part of existing data-sharing processes, and as a routine referral, discharge, and handover processes.
Meeting of needs: taking steps to ensure that the individual receives information in an accessible format and any communication support which the staff have received training in Understanding Autism, Mental Health, Learning Disabilities Awareness, Challenging Behaviour, Equality & Diversity as well as The Mental Capacity Act and DoLS. The organisation is now in the stages of implementing

the ‘Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training in Learning Disabilities and Autism and this will allow our staff to have better knowledge and support to enable them to deliver high-quality person-centred care and support.

Support staff will act on the information provided and will: Take appropriate action to enable people to communicate effectively, including staff modifying their behaviour and/or with the use of communication aids. Ensure that individuals receive information in a format they can access and understand e.g. pictures, large print, easy read. Match peoples’ communication methods with appropriate staff that will support them to communicate and be understood effectively with the person. Care and support staff will support the person to understand their rights under the AIS when accessing health appointments. The states that ‘where needed, appropriate, qualified, professional communication support MUST be arranged or provided to enable individuals to effectively access / receive health or adult social care facilitate effective / accurate dialogue, and to enable participation in decisions about their health, care or treatment.’ Contact people using their preferred method of communication and provide ways for people to contact the service. Inform people of the potential confidentiality risk when sending/receiving information via email or text – refer to Data Protection Policy. Signpost accessible information available on our website and other sources including BSL video. Allocate time to people supported to meet their communication needs, funding permitting. Where funding is available and sufficient for appropriate communication aides and technology, service managers will support the person to address this with the relevant funding body. Staff will receive training as part of their induction process about sensory loss, AIS awareness and how to support people with communication needs, as well as BSL / Makaton training where appropriate. Compliance with the be monitored through the quality monitoring process and we will review our learning taking remedial action where needed.