Anyone who works in a community pharmacy should have heard about the Accessible Information Standard, which has come into force in England. Joanne Taylor looks at what this means for pharmacy teams

All organisations in England providing NHS or publicly funded services must conform to the Accessible Information Standard (AIS) by 31 July this year. Accessible information simply means ‘information that can be read or received and understood by the patient’, and the standard has been introduced so patients with disabilities, impairment or sensory loss have sufficient access to information and communication support if needed.

These disabilities and impairments could include, but are not limited to, people who have a learning disability, mental health issue or other health problem which could limit their ability to communicate effectively, and people who are blind, deaf-blind, deaf or hard of hearing.

Under the Equality Act 2010, pharmacies must make reasonable adjustments to provide patients with information in an appropriate format for their needs, such as large print. In community pharmacy, it is so important that we remain accessible to all, without the need for an appointment, and the AIS will make certain that all patients can receive information about their medicines and how to take them, along with any other health-related information, in a way they understand. By improving communication with our patients and customers in this way, we will increase their ability to be involved in decisions about their medication, health and wellbeing.

So how can we achieve this in the pharmacy? Firstly, all staff should be familiar with the five points of AIS: 

1. Ask – check whether the patient has communication or information needs

2. Record – clearly and concisely record any identified or known patient needs

3. Highlight – make sure recorded needs are flagged up when the patient medication record (PMR) is accessed so that appropriate action can be taken

4. Share – details of these needs should be included as part of existing data sharing processes. This must always be with the patient’s consent 

5. Act – ensure each patient/customer receives the information they need in a way they can access and understand and, if they require it, any additional communication support.

It’s important that all staff read and fully understand the pharmacy’s standard operating procedure for AIS. Community pharmacy is absolutely essential to the health and wellbeing of patients, so it’s vital the whole team gets involved with AIS to identify and support patients who may require information and communication support. This will make sure community pharmacy remains accessible and available to all, no matter where or who they are.

Joanne is a registered pharmacy technician and ACPT, and is professional standards lead at Vittoria Healthcare. She is national secretary for the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK (APTUK), and is a member of the Medicines Rebalancing Programme Board at the Department of Health as well as TM’s editorial advisory panel.