Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag
Summary
- All providers of NHS care or treatment
- All providers of publicly funded social care
- Social care or services bodies (in their role as service providers)
- Independent contractors providing NHS services including primary medical service
- Independent Healthcare Provider Network Organisations
- NHS Foundation Trusts and NHS Trusts
- Providers of NHS and / or social care from the voluntary and community or privat
- Providers of public health services, including advice and information
- Appointment / scheduling
- Clinical decision support
- Continuity of care
- Key care information
- Patient communication
- Referrals
- Community health
- Dentistry
- Hospital
- Maternity
- Mental health
- Pharmacy
- Social care
- Urgent and Emergency Care
Documentation
Under the Equality Act 2010, organisations have a legal duty to make changes in their approach or provision, called reasonable adjustments, to ensure that services are as accessible to people with disabilities as they are for everyone else. This duty aims to address the recognition that people with disabilities may have equal access to care and services, but without specific adjustments being made, that access may not be equitable.
NHS England has built the Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag in the NHS Spine to enable health and care professionals to record, share and view details of Reasonable Adjustments across the NHS, wherever the person is treated. The flag indicates that Reasonable Adjustments are required for an individual and optionally includes details of their significant impairments, underlying conditions and key adjustments that should be considered.
The flag aims to enable:
- Clear identification of all patients for whom Reasonable Adjustments may be required.
- Identification of patients with impairments including learning disability or autism (and all other relevant key impairments).
- Identification and sharing of key adjustments that will help a care episode go well or happen at all.
- Ubiquitous, consistent visibility and structure of the information – wherever a patient is treated in health and care.
- Identification and maintenance of the information recorded and shared through the Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag in conjunction with the wishes of patients and carers - leading to tailored, personalised care.
Implementation of this Standard will follow a phased approach.
- Phase one conformance: 31 March 2024
- Phase two conformance: 30 June 2024
Therefore, full conformance is expected by 30 June 2024.