Accessible Information Standard in M11

The Accessible Information Standard aims to make sure that people who have a disability or sensory loss get information that they can access and understand, and any communication support that they need.

AIS tells organisation how they should make sure that patients and service users, and their carers and parents, can access and understand the information they are given. This includes making sure that people get information in accessible formats. The Standard also tells organisation how they should make sure that people get support from a communication professional if they need it, and about changing working practices to support effective communication.

Healthwatch Manchester visited five (5) pharmacies in the M11 area which incorporates Clayton and Openshaw.

All pharmacies allowed us to assess their knowledge and implementation of the AIS however only two of the five pharmacies had at least vague knowledge of what the AIS is.

None of the five pharmacies provided access to any BSL relay tool such as the SignVideo service. Moreover, only one pharmacy had a hearing loop available for people to use on site. Therefore, we recommended that all pharmacies in the M11 area who didn't have a hearing loop should purchase one as a matter of urgency.